Obsession Is The Greatest Kind Of Love
by PasoFinoLovrr
Summary: Three years after The Joker terrorized Gotham. What if after he escaped Arkham, and tried to lure the Batman out multiple times but ultimately failed and he found a new obsession in the form of a one Emily Allen? What is she in store for? Well obviously you need to read this to know more! Joker/OC (NOW COMPLETED!)
1. Chapter 1

The Allens were sitting at their dinner table discussing the travel plans for 18 year old Emily's trip to Gotham the next day. It was a Friday night and she was planning to leave their New York house in the suburbs early the next morning, to be able to beat the rush hour traffic that happens at around 5:00 in Gotham.

"Now, Em", her step-dad, Richard Allen said with his stern voice he usually reserved for when he wanted to come across as no nonsense. Even though he was really a huge softie at heart. "I understand that you're eager to see Sam again because it's been... what? Six months since she moved? I get that. But you've only had your license for a year, so I want to make sure you know everything you need to for this trip. You're going to keep in contact with us, and call every hour so we know you're doing all right, right?" He made sure to keep his dark blue eyes on her so as to convey to her that he's serious about this.

Good naturedly rolling her light honey brown eyes at this, Emily responded with her usual, "Yes, Dad".

He continued saying, "And make sure that there's no texting and driving, you're aware at all times of what's going on around you, when and where you are gonna stop to get gas". He paused, contemplating. "And absolutely no talking to strangers at these gas stations; if anything happened to you... I don't know what your mother and I would do".

She internally winced at his obvious reluctance to allow his just turned 18 year old step-daughter to go to a big city six hours away from their home. Even though she was only a _step-_ daughter to him she knew he loved her very much, and it was hard for him to let her go too far away. The last time he was overly permissive he lost his two daughters.

20 year old Ali, and 16 year old Jamie were in a horrific car accident. Though he rarely speaks of it, she has gathered that while they were driving out of town on a trip to Chicago on their way to see their grandma, they got in a head-on collision with a semi-truck driver who fell asleep at the wheel.

That happened nearly ten years ago.

But Richard had been in the lives of Jeanine and Emily Neil for eight years; he and Emily's mom met at a book store of all places, and (purportedly) it was love at first sight. They had each found kindred spirits in the other; Richard's wife left him when his girls were very little. Just as Emily's father left them when she was just six years old. Richard and Jeanine were married seven years ago.

Emily knew that she and her mom were all Richard had, (which was pretty sad, really) with their meager income from her mom's salary working at the hospital as a CNA, while he worked at Harold's Auto Shop as a part-time mechanic. She had been saving for this trip to Gotham for months, saving every bit of her babysitting money to be able to go. And she was very excited to go and see her childhood best (and only) friend Sam who lived in the city in a place called the Narrows.

"Richard". Her mother Jeanine said, while she squeezed his hand. "She'll be fine, she's an adult now, and not only that, but you yourself said that she's a better driver and navigator than the two of us combined", she finished with a wink, and one of her bright, easy smiles in Emily's direction.

Emily wished that she had the easygoing, quick to smile, kindhearted personality from her mother.

As it was though, she was fairly sure that she got her too intense, stubborn, and quick-witted aspects of her personality from her father. But it was Emily's lovely shade of brown eyes, her fiercely loyal disposition, and the ability to see good in everyone that made her her mother's daughter. And even though she loves her step-dad, and she does; he was one of the kindest (albeit over-protective) human beings on the planet.

But she wanted her real dad in her life as well. Even though she would repeatedly tell herself that it's not her fault he left, she still wished to meet with him face-to-face now- after twelve years- to tell him that she's sorry, and beg him to come back into her life if only even as a friend. She would settle for anything just for some closure.

Shaking her head to pull herself out of her quiet, melancholy musings, she looked up and smiled back at her mother. Putting fake happiness behind her words, she said, "Thanks for letting me go, you guys. But are you sure you're too busy to drive there with me?"

She glanced at the two of them, hoping that maybe they would decide to come with her after all, before adding, "I heard from Sam that Gotham has a pretty high crime rate, and criminals are often escaping. Sometimes the media doesn't even report it". She wondered vaguely if maybe she was laying on her fake concern a bit too thickly?

Apparently not, judging by their response to her words.

Her parents looked at each other regretfully and her step-dad, after running his hand through his thinning head of red hair, responded with, "You know we would, honey. But I don't think your mother can get any time off from the Hospital... And I need to go to a mandatory meeting tomorrow afternoon. But, maybe in a few weeks from now there will be the time and money we need to spend on family trips". He smiled kindly at her.

In response to her step-dad's suggestion, Emily said disappointedly, "Yeah, maybe next week".

She wanted her parents to come with her, but she didn't want them to make her stay, either. She would just be home by herself the whole time anyways. But she was definitely a little concerned about a criminal clown in Gotham who terrorized the citizens three years back, and who also really scares her and gives her nightmares whenever she so much as pictures his face in her mind. It is a lot less childish than you think.

Jeanine glanced over her shoulder at the kitchen clock and said, "I, for one, think that's enough talk for right now. It's time for bed, you two".

Richard stretched his back and agreed with his wife saying, "Yeah, I suppose it is". Reaching out, he stopped her hand from reaching for the dirty dinner dishes, he said to her, "I'll do the dishes, you go and get ready for work, sweetie".

Standing up, her dad gave his wife a hug, and kiss on the back of her blonde head, before gathering up the dishes. Emily watched this exchange she'd seen many times in her life, and wondered, not for the first time, if she would ever find what they have. She was happy for her mother that she had found a deeper love in Richard than she ever had in her first husband. Emily didn't know what it felt like to love like that, having never found any guy she thought was even remotely decent- not up to her standards, anyways.

Standing up herself, she was heading towards her bedroom when her mom stopped her, calling out, "I've got the night shift tonight, Em. So I won't see you again till you get back. I love you!"

Looking back, Emily replied quietly, "Love you, too. Night".

Her mother smiled, and blew her a kiss before turning around to head to her parent's bedroom at the other end of the house to get ready for her shift.

Turning around, Emily trudged down the hall with its beige colored walls, sighing inside at her parents' obliviousness to their own daughter's disappointment at them always being gone. She understood that they needed to make enough money to support them and to pay for their two bedroom two bathroom house, their three car payments, and everything else, and she truly didn't mind being by herself once in awhile. But did they have to be gone so much?

She felt like they were rarely home, and she kept getting pushed aside for work, and making money.

It also used to be terrible at school before she graduated a few months ago; kids generally ignored her because she apparently did not 'fit in'. And she never planned on trying to. She stood up for the underdog, she dressed in T-shirts, sweatshirts, and jeans (ALWAYS JEANS!), and she tried to see the good in people through all the bad. And apparently that did not mesh well with the In Crowd. She wondered what she could do to make people see that she can be fiery, cool, and fun as well as every other thing she is that people don't like about her.

While on the way to her room, the only place to ever bring her true peace, she thought about the general meanness of most girls her age.

 _Maybe I could sleep with every guy I knew in high school, party every weekend, get 15 DUI's, do meth, and pierce everything on my body and THEN these other kids will accept me, and my parents will notice me outside of the few times I leave town and Richard gets worried._

"Pfft", she snorted. "As if, I'd lower my standards that much just to fit in. I'm not THAT desperate", she muttered to herself while opening her old wooden door, and looking at her (sort of) organized room. Well, everything was organized apart from one thing that would make it look really messy, if someone were on the outside looking in, and searching for something to be nitpicky about.

Books. Everywhere.

On her nightstand, on her bed, and dozens on her floor with hardly any on the actual bookshelf where they belong. Books ranging from mystery, to suspense, to supernatural, and sci fi. She loved them all. But she kept away from any romance novels, finding them to be irritating, predictable, and (for her) downright depressing, considering the state of her non-existent love-life.

Picking up one of her favorites, a story about a boy and the love he had for his two dogs, and their love for him. She enjoyed the stories told in each book she owned, but particularly the book Where the Red Fern Grows, it's a tear-jerker to be sure. But also inspirational, and uplifting as well, which is something she felt she needed every now and again.

 _Besides. Who needs guys when you've got books?_

Smiling as she opened the worn, dog-eared pages, she slowly fell asleep to thoughts of running free through the Cherokee woods, following the baying of the hounds...

Of course, no matter how seemingly at peace she felt, the dreams were never too far behind.

 _Running through what appeared to be a rundown neighborhood, Emily felt the need, the pull, to run even deeper into this rather creepy place, away from the bright city lights behind her that were lighting her way through this place. Still running for all she was worth, she glanced up into the night sky to see no moon or stars to light the way for her. She looked to her left and right as she rounded a turn on the sidewalk seeing that every house was black as pitch, black as the Devil's soul inside each unshuttered window, inside each unhinged door._

 _Suddenly, at the end of this street, in the darkest corner of this forsaken place... Emily caught sight of a lit porch light on one of the smaller houses. This one, unlike its neighbors, was more black colored instead of the grey color the rest of these houses pushed herself hard, and slowly the house started to look closer._

 _Finally having reached the beginning of the driveway up to the house, she pushed a lock of dark brown, curly hair out of her face, and started to walk slowly up to the door. This pace was a far cry from the fast sprint she did on the way to this place. Having reached the door to the house, she felt a dim sense of warning bells going off in her head at the eerie sensation that this house was giving off. Looking to the left at the porch light that had helped to guide her here, using it as a sort of beacon of hope, she pushed open the door..._

 _... Only to be met with blackness, and utter silence... Slowly walking into what looked to be a black hole, she felt the pull, pulling her towards a dim hallway to the right of the now barely visible living room. Vaguely feeling that this was no ordinary dream, she followed the hallway to a cracked open door on the left... She flinched at the creaking sound it made as she pushed it open..._

 _Carefully stepping inside, she stood in the black void of a room waiting for something- she knew not what- anything to happen._

 _She he did not have to wait long when a lamp was turned on, and she could see the room, she blinked rapidly before things came into focus; the walls were grey in color, the room was tiny, with no window or closet, and only a nightstand holding the light giving lamp, and a rocking chair with it's back facing her were in the room with her._

 _Out of nowhere, the door flew closed behind Emily with a deafening *BANG*. Whirling around to try prying open the door, suddenly feeling the need to escape, run, get out as fast as possible. When_ _all of a sudden, she felt a cold whisper of breath on her neck and an eerie giggle that seemed to echo, and bounce around in her skull taunting her, teasing her, and destroying her sanity._

 _She froze, and ever so slowly turned around to face her fears... What she saw made her wish she were dead..._

 _Her dad lay facedown. Lifeless. With a pool of blood around his head. She fell to her knees to crawl over to his prone form. Rolling him over, she felt the need to puke all over again._

 _His once handsome face had been mutilated. The cheeks that used to be so smooth were slashed up towards his eyes, so that he was 'smiling from ear-to-ear', with his throat slashed deeply so that his head was hanging halfway off._

 _... She started to cry, repeating to him over and over "Dad, I'm sorry! I love you so much. I'm so sorry!" She rested her head on his chest, wishing he'd wake up and hold her like he used to when she was just a little girl..._

 _Feeling a presence in front of her hunched form, she slowly peeked up from her fetal position on the floor... And saw a face of nightmares; A head of shaggy green locks, with a deathly white face, and black around the eyes, but his eyes themselves were so black as to be nearly invisible in this gloom amidst the kohl around his eyes, making it appear that he had no eyes just black holes where the eyes should be... But the worst thing about him, the very very. Worst. Thing. About him... Was the scars that created a Glasglow grin up his cheeks. As she stared at his scars, surprisingly, the lips started to part, revealing rows of yellowed teeth in a sinister attempt at an actual smile._

 _She stared in horror up at his towering, purple-clad figure. She slowly- as if he was some rabid animal about to attack- backed away on all fours, when suddenly he started to speak while still smiling at her. His voice. It was nasally, and almost comical, but still evil, and guttural at times._

 _Cocking his head at her almost childishly, he said, "Aw, what's the matter, sweethear **t**? You look upset". Slowly, ever so slowly, he pulled a switchblade out of his pocket saying, "I can fix that". After he finished his grin widened, and he let out the most insane laughter to ever grace Emily's ears._

 _Horrified, she leapt up and turned to try opening the door again, when she tripped and fell down onto her chest. She looked to see what she'd tripped on, and only saw herself lying in a pool of blood that was slowly gushing out of the floor. She turned around at the laughter having stopped and came nose to nose with the psychopath she'd only seen on the news, and heard about from her friend Sam._

 _He shoved her back and straddled. But when she started to fight for all she was worth, he said, "Re-laaax; this. Won't. Hurt. A. Bit." He brought the knife up to plunge it into her heart, and practically in slow motion, she watched it descend, while listening to his insane cackle befitting for the raving lunatic he was..._

Gasping awake in a cold sweat, Emily sat bolt upright looking around for the source of that evil laugh.

Only to find that there was no one there. Just her, and her green night light shaped like a turtle, that was plugged into the wall. Yes, she still sleeps with a nightlight. But only because it keeps her fears- for the most part- at bay. Ever since a nightmare she had after watching the evening news about a serial killer clown who calls himself 'The Joker' nearly three years ago, she's been afraid of the dark, and could never sleep without her trusted light to fend off the dark eyes she felt were always on her no matter what she did.

But even Timmy the turtle nightlight, couldn't keep the nightmares away for long. It seemed that every week now she had nightmares starring mainly _him._

SHe shuddered, and leaned down to grab a new book to read to take her mind off of him, and her father- this one with a main character named Valjean who was a rather fascinating individual to read about- she picked up her tiny flashlight and dove into the incredible story. She was intent on reading until it was a suitable time to be up and about, seeing as how it was only 5:14am.

After reading for awhile she glanced at her digital clock, and saw it was now 7:08am, and decided it's time to get ready for her six hour trip to Gotham.

Leaving her room to go get some breakfast, she wondered where her parents were? Suddenly remembering her mother saying goodbye to her last night because of her shift she 'needed' to go on. Well that's where she is, but what about her step-dad? Having walked down the hallway from her room to go through the dining room, then to the kitchen, she found her answer for her step-dad's absence in a note he had left for her on the table:

 _Emily,_

 _I'm sorry, honey; I had to go to a meeting early, and I won't be back in time to see you off. I'm sure you understand. But here's a few things I'd like to tell you in case you might have forgotten; Don't forget to call, remember your map, don't forget anything important when you leave Gotham, and make sure you know exactly how to get to Sam's house from the Interstate. Have fun!_

 _We love you, Honey!_

After she finished reading the (in her opinion) halfhearted letter, she shook her head, thinking, _Why don't you care about me this much when I'm here? Instead of just getting worried when during the times when I rarely leave town?_

Missing them already, and feeling sad that they couldn't see her off, she started to get her stuff packed for the trip. As she said earlier, she wishes she could do more things with them as a family. And why wouldn't she want to? They were a family, after all. Although she realized long ago that she was more the third wheel than anything, and did not hold the same place in her mom's heart as Richard did.

At least, that's what it felt like to Emily...

She missed the times when she was just a little girl again, sitting in her father's lap, while her mother made dinner. She pondered those good times while finishing getting ready, and loading everything she needed into the car. Glancing back at the house, she waved to no one in particular and got into the old silver Buick she had gotten last month for her birthday.

Starting it up, she put her childhood friend's address into her GPS. Then she dialed her cell to tell her friend she's on her way.

Only to get the voicemail.

 _"Hey! This is Sam. Sorry I missed your call, but if you leave me a message after the beep I'll be sure to get back to you as soon as I can!"_

Emily smiled after hearing her best friend's overly chipper voice over the phone. She decided to leave her a message to let her know when to expect her. "Hey, Sam. I'm calling so you know that I'm leaving right now, at 7:45am so expect me at around 2:00ish...? Don't hold me to that, but it'll be around there. See you soon. Love ya!"

After hanging up she backed out of their driveway, and on towards the I25, and a weekend of nothing but movies, girl chat, and (in Sam's case) clubbing with boys.

She could not have known how this foolish trip to Gotham City would change her life forever...

 **A/N**

 **I knoooow this is boring, but don't worry, and don't give up on this! It picks up on chapter 3, and stays super exciting;) Please, read on!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Whoops! Forgot this. Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing related to, or involving Batman. I only own The Allens, and Sam, and Kate.**

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After a long, and particularly arduous 7 and a half hour drive, Emily finally arrived in Gotham. With its towering buildings, and somewhat dirty streets, overall the city had a mysterious charm, she thought. Though, as she followed the route her GPS was telling her to go for a half hour, she noticed the houses getting shadier and shadier. There was more than one house with broken in windows, and a tipped over garbage can. But since it was only 3:20 in the afternoon, the sun was up, and the neighborhood didn't look too bad. She even thought she saw some decent looking apartments.

 _"Take next right, and in 200 feet you will have arrived at your destination"._ Her GPS told her.

Taking the turn, she thought about what her and Sam would do this weekend? Nothing too crazy, she hoped. Her and Sam had been great friends since second grade. Well, second grade for her, but fourth for Sam, as she was two years older than Emily. But that never stopped them all these years from going to the pool together, shopping at the mall, and plenty of sleepovers. Until the darker time in Emily's memory; Sam's move to Gotham for 'boyfriend reasons'. Unlike Emily's more introverted and shy personality type, Sam was a full-blown people person; constantly making new friends. But she _always_ chose to spend her weekends with her best friend who was two years younger than her. Emily liked to think that she'd do anything for her, and vice versa.

Pulling up to the curb in front of the tiny apartment building, with her GPS saying "You have arrived" in its monotonic voice. She got out of her car, opening the backseat to grab her pack and slinging it over her shoulder, turning back then to lock the car with it making an audible ' _click_ ' sound back at her. Walking up to the house, feeling her excitement build with each step up to the door number that Sam texted to her an hour ago, she simply couldn't wait to see her dear, trusted friend. She could already hear a holler coming from the house, and some barking; "Put that down, Sebastian!" bark! _bark! bark!_ "June-bug! Quiet!" *silence...* BARK! "That's it, you two, you're gonna get it!"

 _Typical Sam,_ Emily thought with amusement . _Almost always over-estimating her capabilities._

Deciding to mess with her friend, Emily made sure to stay away from the peep-hole, while she readied herself by seriously deepening her voice, she then banged on the door, and yelled, "POLICE! We got a call about a little boy being abused in this building! Open the door, or we will!" Snickering under her breath she waited in the silence that followed, apart from June's yipping. The door then flew open to reveal a very disheveled looking, Sam Adams.

She pushed her sweaty, strawberry blonde hair out of her face, and muttered apologies, before she even looked up to see who it was. "I'm so sorry, officer. I'm babysitting my neighbor's kid right now, and he's being a little terror, and my dog won't shut up, and I-"... She finally looked up to see her giggling friend on her doorstep... and certainly not the police she had been expecting.

"Oh, Sam! You should've seen your face!", she said between giggles. "You looked so freaked, hahaha!"

Sam slapped her on the arm, hard, but she too was smiling a little bit. "It's so not funny; you nearly gave me a heart-attack!" She clutched her chest to prove her point.

"I'm sure you'll be fi-", Emily started to say, only to be plowed into in the legs by a little brown haired, five year old boy who yelled, "Help! She won't let me watch tv! Please take me back home."

Emily got down on her knees to be on his level, exaggeratingly saying, "What? She won't let you watch tv?!", she shook her head for dramatic effect. "We'll have to fix that". She smiled and stuck out her hand, and said, "I'm Emily, what's your name, buddy?".

He looked at her with (if it were possible for a five year old) a calculating look on his face, before he tentatively shook her proffered hand saying, "I'm Sebastian, and my mommy's at work, and this lady won't let me watch tv, can I now, though?" He looked up through thick brown eyelashes, with a sweet look in his big brown eyes.

Emily nodded her head yes to him, and pointed back inside she replied, "Yes you can, but we need to hang out inside, and behave ourselves if we want to watch any television ".

He broke into a huge smile and turned to sprint back inside with a vigor only little children have. But not before stopping to 'discreetly' stick his tongue out at Sam who then rolled her eyes, watching him disappear inside.

Sam looked at her friend with disapproval. "Don't trust him; he's evil, he gets you when you're weak, and down." Then she smiled, reached for her best friend, and said, "How've you been?" They both completed the embrace. "It's been lonely here for me without my bud to keep me company in this new city".

They broke apart to head inside, getting greeted at the door by her friend's beagle June-bug. Emily reached down to pet her wrinkly head, saying, "I'm glad you still want me around, but it looks like you have plenty of rowdy company". She winked, pointing to the little child sitting suspiciously calm, on the love seat to the left of them, in the small living room, and June, who waddled away to lay on the dining room rug.

"Yeah", she scoffed. "Too much rowdiness for me". She headed towards the kitchen a little past the living room while calling back, "His mom should be here pretty soon; she gets off of work at about 3:30, and it's 3:45 now."

She started banging stuff around in the kitchen, and said, "What do you want to do today? It's Saturday, so I don't have to work at the diner... How about we walk to this cute Italian restaurant I know about, just outside the Narrows? It's really cute inside, and it's got awesome food! Then tomorrow we can go shopping, and to the movies, maybe even meet some guys".

Emily smiled at her friend's enthusiasm, while she found a chair in the living room with Sebastian, and listened to her friend continue, while banging cupboards in the kitchen where they couldn't see her.

Sam seemed to have found what she wanted, for the banging stopped, and she continued her talking, "Speaking of guys; are you seeing anyone yet?"

 _Knew that would come up,_ Emily thought, mentally preparing what she was about to say, "I think I'll just die a widow, thanks!" She called back."I mean, I can live without a guy. Besides; I'd like to go to college, and study. Not focus on any relationships right now."

Sam appeared with three cups of black iced tea, handing Emily and Sebastian each one, and sitting in the chair opposite the two of them. She shook her head, before saying to Emily, "I'll admit that you've got plenty of time for these things. But you are stunning, Em! And I know that you want kids someday, right? Remember when you told me that?"

Emily sipped her tea, before replying, "Yes I remember. And I still do want kids, but I don't want to get married for at least six years". She looked at Sam, and she had a deadpan look on her face.

"Well", she replied "I can't fix crazy, but I can do something about that hair, and those clothes. Seriously? What are you wearing?" She looked at Emily's outfit with a critical eye, and said, "You weren't seriously planning on wearing sweats, and sneakers to this restaurant were you?"

Emily was about to reply, when the doorbell rang.

Sam set her tea down, saying, "Come on, Seb. That's probably your mom".

She went to grab Sebastian, but he suddenly drew a whoopie cushion from behind his back, blew it in her face, ducked out from under her arms, quickly waving goodbye to Emily on his way, and ran to the door first, crying, "Mom, mommy!"

"Little terd", Sam muttered to herself on the way to the door, glaring at Emily's hunched over giggling form. "I'd like to see you try watching him all day, and see how _you_ do with the little monster", Sam said to her, only making Emily laugh harder.

Straightening up, and wiping the laughing tears from her eyes, she watched Sam speak to Sebastian's mother, watched him get picked up by her, his mom handed Sam some money, then Sam thanked her, and shut the door, turning back to the living room.

While her friend sat back down, going through the money with an overly critical look, Emily looked around and said, "This is a pretty cute apartment, Sam. I like it."

Sam smiled, and replied, "It was really cheap rent, I got it from a pretty shady guy, but it's more doable than the crazy expensive apartments uptown, and actually one of many available houses in the Narrows. It's supposed to be a pretty dangerous place to live, but I haven't had any issues." She paused, thinking, before saying, "Honestly though, I'm surprised your parents let you come here... There have been a few homicides, and some months back this freaky clown was demanding over videos on the news, that the Batman show himself. Even though the Bat hasn't been seen for almost three years, I hear. And I haven't heard anything new on the clown for quite some time". By the time she finished Emily had quickly grown a little uncomfortable with the topic of people dressed as flying rodents, and homicidal clowns.

Changing the subject, Emily snorted at Sam's suggesting that her parents would care what she did. She said incredulously, "My parents? Care if I leave? Ha! They're too busy with work to care what happens with me". She sighed, finishing off her black tea.

Sam looked at her like she had grown another head. "Em, you know that your parents would risk their lives for you if they needed to! They just need to get work stuff situated first."

Emily said placatingly, "Yea, I guess."

"Besides", Sam continued. "You're 18 now, and graduated! You get to focus on living outside of the house now."

Emily decided it's time to do something fun. "Hey, do you think it's too early to go on an early dinner-date right now". She grinned excitedly.

Sam narrowed her eyes, suspiciously, and replied, "Of course, but not dressed like that you're not going anywhere". She got up to take out Emily's ponytail saying, "We've got a long way to go, girl before your ready for a night on the town". She winked and pulled her friend to her bedroom down the short hallway to work on making them both look great...

... Two hours, a bag of Lays chips, and a lot of talking later, both girls were satisfied with their appearance. Sam had put her reddish hair in a high ponytail with the strands curled, long dangly golden earrings, with a pink low-cut flowing top, her too tight black shimmery skinny jeans, and four inch, black high heeled shoes. With Emily, she put her dark brown, curly hair, in a side braid, with the bangs hanging to frame her face, and sparkly non-dangling earrings. She had also loaned her (since Emily didn't bring anything with her that Sam thought was even remotely dressy enough) a long-sleeved, tight, light purple shirt, with a V-neck- Sam says the purple brought out Emily's eyes- and her dark blue, denim skinny jeans, with black flats.

Looking at Sam's bedside clock, Emily said, "It's past six; you think we should leave now?" She looked at her friend, who had just finished fastening on her other shoe.

"Yep, let's go. I just need to put June in her kennel first." They both left the room, and after the dog was put away, they headed outside into the mid-summer air, with the sun just beginning to set.

"We're walking?" Emily asked, surprised at seeing Sam walk past the cars, and towards the sidewalk.

"Yeah, it's not very far. And it's actually pretty out right now!" Sam kept walking down the sidewalk, acting rather blasè about it, and so- thinking Sam knew best, since she's lived here for months, and knew what she was doing, Emily followed her... She would soon realize the terrible mistake she made in choosing to walk instead of drive this particular night, with this particular company...

After walking for 15 minutes, and with the sun well on it's way to setting, Emily started to feel an uneasy feeling in her gut, that told her to turn back, and just order take-out. But Sam seemed naively optimistic about making it to this place, and also strangely distracted.

They continued on for another ten minutes.

Finally, Emily had had enough of this feeling, and seeing a phone booth they had passed about 30 feet back, she said to Sam, "I'm not walking in the dark anymore, Sam. Can you tell me the number for a cab company? I'll pay for the fare, I just don't feel right about this". She looked at Sam with pleading eyes.

Her eyes narrowed infinitesimally, but she shrugged anyway, and handed her the phone number she'd asked for from her purse, saying, "Sure I'll wait right here for ya."

Emily took the number, and turned to walk back to the booth. Reaching it, she stepped inside, dialed the number, and waited listening to the ring on the other line. While it rang, she glanced behind her to see Sam looking at her phone while she waited for her. Emily thought it was odd that Sam wanted to walk instead of paying for gas. Maybe she's having a hard time with making any money? But Emily could have driven them in her car. Maybe she got this route from some guy? She always did take guy's advice to heart most of the time. She didn't know what her friend's problem was, she was more concerned with eating, and getting out of the Narrows... Something about them gave her a bad feeling.

" _Hello, Carl's cab service. How can I help you?"_ The bored sounding female voice asked.

Immediately feeling happier, Emily said into the phone, "Yes, I'd like a taxi to please come pick up me and my friend at-" She was interrupted by a shriek the likes of which she'd never heard before;

"HELP!"

Shocked, and surprised, Emily dropped the phone, immediately searching for the source of the scared cry for help, and instantly finding it: Sam was being lifted, and dragged over to a big white van by two dirty looking men. She was kicking, and still screaming for all she was worth. Emily didn't know what to do. Deciding on the first thing that came to mind- aside from calling 911- was sprinting over to the three of them, and yelling out, "Wait!" All three people looked over, and paused in their struggles for a split-second, staring at her, before the shorter guy stood up from dragging Sam, and got in front of the van, waiting for Emily to come to him. But she paid him no attention; she only looked at Sam's tear streaked face, and felt an intense surge of sadness, for this was the only person ever in Emily's life who truly cared about what happened to her, so she kept senselessly running towards them.

She was abruptly stopped by a thick arm in front of her chest, blocking her from reaching her friend. Feeling frantic, and desperately wanting to reach her friend, she yelled exactly what was on her mind in that moment-something she tended to do when she wasn't thinking clearly, "Take me please! Not her!" Now _that_ made these men pause; she felt the arms around her release, and he stepped back, while the other guy stopped, and stared at her as well. Sam stopped crying, and stared at her in surprise.

Taking advantage of the stillness, she elaborated, "I don't know why you were about to take her". She swallowed thickly, before continuing, "But whatever you wanted to do with her, you can do to me instead... I just- please don't take her!"

The two thugs shared a glance, before the big one holding Sam spoke in a deep baritone voice, "The boss just said he needed a girl from around here... Do you think he'd really like it better if she came willingly?"

The one next to Emily, the shorter of the two, paused, scratching his stubble before he suddenly smiled, and looked at the other thug, replying, "Yeah. Yeah, I think he would."

Before she knew what was happening, she was lifted up, over his shoulder, and from there, thrown into the back of the smelly van. She watched, terrified, and then gave a strangled gasp as the bigger thug banged Sam's head into the brick alleyway wall, leaving her unconscious form in the shadows, and jumping in the back with her, as the shorter thug started the van up, and sped away. There were no windows in the back, and very little light; she strained to see, and keep her eyes on the man in front of her. She was incredibly scared, more so than she could ever remember being in her life. And having no idea of their plans for her, only added to her terror. They spoke of some boss of theirs, who wanted them to bring him some random girl? But was it a mob boss, or something more horrid? And for what purpose did he want a young girl for? These thoughts were hurting her head to think about.

They drove for probably almost an hour, and she could see that they hadn't left the shadier part of Gotham; if anything, they went further in, where there was not a single street lamp on the road, no police patrol cars, no anything that would bring comfort to a frightened, kidnapped teenager. She could just barely see them drive past an empty lot, and a junkyard, on to a (clearly abandoned) warehouse. They passed through the open chain link gate, up to the foreboding building with its broken, boarded up windows. It could have been used for anything in its day, but as it is, Emily had a very difficult time finding out exactly what it was in this gloom, with not even a moon for light.

By now the van had stopped in front of the walkway up to the door of the dilapidated building. The driver jumped out, and started to walk up towards the building at a brisk pace. Then the man sitting in front of her grabbed her arm, and dragged her out the side door of the van. She grunted angrily when her head hit the side of the door, giving her a splitting headache. But the jerk paid her no mind- continuing to pull her along with him. As they walked, she looked up at the single story, huge, rust colored building. With each step forward, she could feel herself becoming inexplicably more and more sick to her stomach.

The thug in front of them had already disappeared into the place through the door. When they reached the door, she tried in vain to pull away and run now that Sam was safe, and she had nothing to lose by trying. Though, this proves to be incredibly stupid on her part, for she was hit in the head with the butt of a gun. Half-conscious, she faintly felt herself being lifted up bridal-style, or was she being dragged on her back? She did not know; it was all she could do to focus on staying awake, trying to focus her eyes on the extremely dark room they were going through, and listening to the conversations around her consisting of; "She's pretty, I think the Boss will be happy". "He certainly hasn't been the same since Batman, and that Harvey Dent fiasco a few years back". "Yeah! Seriously, when he escaped the last time two weeks ago, he apparently killed TEN security guards by gutting them like fish, and leaving their innards all down the hallways!"

Then, a female voice. This one sounded faintly British, "My word, Dan! Did you have to hit her over the head with your gun?! She's just a little girl, and can't be more than 5'4 at the most! What trouble could she possibly have caused if she were awake?" The woman paused, then said in a fierce, angry whisper, "We all know what horrible things he could have in store for her, so why are you being unnecessarily cruel?" Even in her half-waking state, Emily realized that she liked this person already.

"Whatever, Kate." A male voice, replied. "I don't need this, I'm taking her to the back now. Unless you, with all your self-righteous tendencies would like to stop me? No? Good, then you can shut up!" There was no response from the woman as they continued on to the back of this warehouse, though Emily pictured the woman's eyes being filled with pity for her uncertain fate. They went for quite some time, until the man dragging her stopped, and knocked on a-was it a metal?- door, waiting. Then Emily barely heard a faint singsonging, " _Come in.."_ she heard the thug gulp audibly, before he pushed the door open, and stepped inside with Emily in tow.

His voice shaking, the thug said, "I-I got what y-y-you said to get... Boss. She-she's right here, see?"

Feeling herself get dropped completely on a cold, dirty, cement floor, she could sense that she was becoming more aware of her surroundings, though everything was still quite blurry; Gray, was the main color she could see through half-closed eyes, while she lay on her side. There was a desk directly in front of her that had a lamp with a green shade on it, giving off a very faint glow. The small room had no windows, and one door from what she could see. But none of these things held any of her attention when there was a purple figure at the corner of her vision conversing with a smaller black figure. It was all so confusing, and she was very tired.

Then she suddenly had the distinct feeling that one gets when there are eyes on them. She heard a wet rasping sound. Like. One makes when they lick their lips. Odd. Before she heard a nasally, "Hmm". Than a bored-sounding, and faintly threatening; "Uh, you can leave now."

She heard quick, eager sounding footsteps, and the door close shut. Then she heard the sound of slow, methodical footsteps walking towards the direction of the door, and then a lock click into place. A moment of silence, then the sound started again with something, or someone stopping in front of her weary form, crouching down in a blur of green, white, red, and purple. The being then reached out to slowly brush the hair from her face just before she fell asleep to the sound of faint giggles...


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: read chapter 2**

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Emily awoke to a burning, stinging sensation on her back, traveling up to the back of her head. She wondered what on earth could she have done to make herself feel this way? She blinked her eyes open, expecting to see the familiar blue walls of her room, and was completely stunned in paralyzing fear at seeing cement walls, and floor instead. She was on a small, hard mattress on a creaky, rusted bed-frame, with a very thin sheet on top of her.

She lay there, confused, as she waited to remember what she was doing in this strange place. Moments later, she was hit with all of the memories from yesterday with a force so strong it was practically physical in its intensity.

Her brown eyes widened, and she twisted under the sheet, searching herself for any signs of assault; who knows what could have happened to her as she lay there, asleep, unprotected, vulnerable for who knows how long? But apart from the fact that whoever had dragged her to this cell had not been gentle about it, the more she checked, the less likely it appeared that anyone had taken advantage. Someone had even bandaged her elbow... She didn't even know how she got injured there.

 _"So, if I'm not here for a bed-toy, and I haven't been spoken to, or hurt badly yet, then... What the heck is going on?!"_ she asked herself, silently.

Deciding she'd sat there long enough, and wanting to try to do _something_ to change her situation, she swung her now bare feet- someone had taken her shoes- onto the cold floor. Tentatively standing, she stepped forward, and onto a piece of broken glass.

Crying out, she tripped over her other foot. And not putting her hands out in time, she fell face first into the floor, bruising her pale cheek.

Her eyes tearing, but still refusing to cry, she was in the process of slowly getting on her hands and knees, when the door opened in front of her, and someone stood there a moment, their face too high for her to see from this position, before they reached under her to help her up. Once she'd made it to her feet, and the person helped guide her, limping, back over to the bed, Emily took this time to look at this person; it was a woman, was the first thing she noticed, and she was very tall and thin, with very straight very blonde hair, and intense blue/grey eyes. She was also strong in contrast to her apparent frailty for she supported most of Emily's weight on her shoulder.

Once they reached the bed, Emily stopped staring at her and focused on the glass of water, and the bowl of soup that this mysterious woman had left on the floor when she came in to help Emily up.

The older woman saw where her gaze was directed, and left her sitting on the bed to go grab the sustenance. Walking up, and setting the bowl in her lap, she sat next to Emily on the bed without a word.

" _She seems rather closed off",_ Emily thought to herself with a shrug, and without thinking, started to eat.

She was soon through with her soup she had drank straight from the bowl, and her water that she chugged.

At that point, the blonde then took the bowl, and glass from her as if they were made of fine china, and started to slowly head for the door. Emily wished she would stay; she was so scared of being alone for too long, and the dark positively terrified her.

However it looked like she'd get her wish, when the woman turned back around, and said in a whisper that was faintly English accented, and vaguely familiar; "Listen, I am not supposed to speak with you right now, and I should not even be in this part of this place... But I need to know; how old are you, and what is your name? Also, did you truly choose to come here, instead of let your friend be taken?"

Well, that was unexpected. Though, Emily realized that she actually hadn't said her name to anyone, and no one has asked anything of her as of yet. She was unsure about giving her name to a stranger; she did not know if she was friend or foe, but she seemed like she was telling the truth when she said she shouldn't be here; her eyes kept darting to the door and back. But why wasn't the woman supposed to be here? Did the 'boss' behind this operation want to leave Emily to starve? She didn't know.

Realizing the woman was still waiting for a response, she swallowed and answered her questions, while asking a few of her own, "I just turned 18 last month... My name is Emily. Emily Allen. And yes; I did take Sam's place. I would do anything for her". She smiled at the stern-faced older woman, and continued, "Can you please tell me what I'm here for? And if I'll get to maybe go home anytime soon?" She knew it was unlikely. Still, she had to ask.

The woman seemed to deflate a little bit, though her military stance remained the same, as she replied with a hint of sadness in her accented voice, "Well, that was a very brave thing you did... I cannot tell you too much because he is supposed to do that tonight". She then took a deep breath, looked Emily in the eyes and said, "However, I will tell you this... Emily. You are being kept here by Gotham's- maybe the world's- most wanted criminal mastermind... The Joker". Emily did vaguely recall Sam saying that he used to be obsessed with getting the Batman out of hiding, but since a few weeks back, he hasn't been seen for a while. Emily listened to the rest with growing fear mixed with horror and disgust.

"Our boss, the Joker, is an extremely intelligent individual, he can evade the cops like no other I've seen, if he wants something (no matter how unattainable) he finds a way to get it. And neither I, nor the rest of his lackeys here know exactly why he wanted a young girl". Here, the woman appeared to carry a heavy sadness through the rest of her explanation. "But I can tell you that now that The Clown Prince of Crime has what he wanted... Frankly, dear, you will never be free of him.. Unless it's in a body bag". Turning back with the dishes she said regrettably, "I'll be back later to take you to his room when he gets back"...

... Time. What is it but the passing of sights, sounds, memories, and everything else that you experience in life before your inevitable end? Emily felt that her end was near. Though what kind of end was it; the end of her existence, the end of her humanity... the end of her sanity? It could have been any of these things, or none of them, all she could tell was that it felt like she was fighting to stay afloat through her raging emotions, and regrets.

After the woman, (she never did catch her name) left her in her tiny room, she leapt after her, completely ignoring her bleeding foot, and the pain in her cheek, as she beat her fists against the door, and cried for someone to help her. When nothing came of that, she stood on her bed to look out the foot-wide window to see that it was at ground level, meaning she was in the basement of this place, she observed disappointedly that there was no way she'd fit through the window. Thus, she slowly slid down the wall to sit on the bed, wrapping her arms around her legs.

She could feel the tears drop down her chin, over her purple cheek, and onto the mattress where they made little 'plink' sounds. She rubbed them off her face with her long-sleeved purple shirt. She sat thinking about what she could do to convince him to let her go. She had heard about him in the news for the first time when she was just 15 years old. About how he had blown up a hospital, with the potential victims barely getting out in time, he had also killed a guy who merely dressed up as Batman, and still, he'd brutally killed more people than she could remember at the moment, not to mention he had a very clever plan to get the ferry boats to blow the other up... She was surprised it didn't work out for him. All in all, he did not seem to be one to fall for meaningless promises, and halfhearted offerings in exchange for freedom. Not that she had much to offer him anyways, except for things she would never give up until the right person came along.

And that's how she came to find herself now: Defeated.

Coming back from her pity-party, she realized something, " _No. You are only truly defeated if you allow yourself to be, he could do whatever he wanted, but you have the power in your mind to choose to let him get to you. Be strong. Not just for yourself but for mom, and Richard... And dad, should you see him ever again"._

Feeling a tiny bit better, she resolved to not overthink what was to come, but it was really difficult to ignore her fears when her biggest one was creeping closer and closer: the sun was beginning to set through her little window, and she could feel herself becoming more scared by the minute.

But then the same woman from earlier came back through the door. Which was both a blessing and a curse; it's good because she won't be alone in the dark, and horrible because it means that despite her wishing the opposite, she's about to come face-to-face with _him_.

Closing the door behind her, the older woman- she looked to be in her mid-thirties- walked over to Emily with a brush, a bowl of water with a rag in it, bandages, and a pair of mid-calf high leather boots. Oh, so she had to get prettied up for this rapist, murderer as well? Completely unfair.

Fuming as the blonde started to take out her side braid that Sam did what seemed like a lifetime ago, she asked, "Did _he_ tell you to make me look good for him, then?"

The woman paused in wetting the rag, before she continued with rubbing gently, almost motherly Emily's bloody face, saying, "Oh no, Emily. I just think that appearances are everything, and maybe he'll be more kind to you if you don't look, and smell like a garbage dump". She didn't sound as if she believed her own words, but Emily could think of no argument for it.

Remebering what she forgot to ask earlier, she said suddenly, "You know, I didn't catch your name earlier..?"

Once again stopping what she was doing as she brushed Emily's hair, the woman said quietly, "Kate. My name is Kate Bidnell".

Emily smiled slightly, deciding that this is the time for her to actually make friends for once in her life before saying, "It's a pretty name, I think".

Kate smiled one of the first sincere smiles she'd seen on the woman yet, and continued to rub her face clean, moving on to putting her hair back in a simple braid, and putting her feet into the new shoes.

Noticing how odd it was that the shoes fit perfectly, she asked Kate a completely unimportant question, but hoping that it would maybe take her mind off things, "How did you know my shoe size?"

Finished with bandaging Emily's cut foot, and putting the shoes on, she stood back with her hands folded over each other, and said, "When you got put in here by the boss, and I came to put the sheet on you, I thought you'd be more comfortable with your shoes off, and they were pretty ruined so I checked the size, and got you these a few hours ago".

"Oh". It seemed like a dumb response, but she really had no more to say knowing where they were heading now that Kate was done getting her ready.

Kate looked up at her, knowingly and said, "Let's go, dear".

Grabbing Kate's cold hand, she let her guide them through the dark halls, up a set of stairs, and through the door at the top into yet another hallway, this one, though with an exit sign above a door at the end of the hall.

" _I can use that"._ She thought to herself.

But then Kate took her to the left, and down a dark hallway until the sign was no longer visible, and Emily lost her bearings completely once again.

Stopping suddenly at a metal door in the middle of the hall, with only one door next to it, Kate turned to Emily, and said gravely, "If I could stop this, trust me; I would. But we can't just run out of here for he WILL find us eventually. And believe me when I say; we'd be in for a fate worse than death". She looked her new friend deep in the eyes while she said, "Just do what he says". She didn't add "and everything will be all right", because how could she? She didn't know if she'd see Emily again after tonight; she had seen the boss do such terrible things to people. She didn't want her only friend to suffer an early death, but she also didn't want to give her false hope.

Emily didn't know what to say, before she was gently pushed into a dark, cold room with the door closing shut behind her.

Almost holding her breath in anticipation, she stepped backwards, away from an eerie feeling she got from directly in front of her. Her back hitting the wall, she stopped, and unable to see or hear anything she waited unknowing of the dark, sinisterlly glittering pair air of eyes that watched her every move from a dark corner of the room.

Shocking her eyes, the lights were suddenly turned on, and she squinted, turning her head to the left, and away from the light. It wasn't very bright; more like a dim glow than anything. But it was enough for her to briefly take in her surroundings; She was in a room that had light green walls, with a cracked open door leading to a dirty looking bathroom on her left, and a little deeper into the room there was a queen sized bed (far more comfy looking than the stiff bed in her cell) with a thick purple comforter, and three pillows. As for the right side of the room- where the light radiated from- ... She froze completely still at what she saw.

Standing next to a beat up desk with a lamp atop it... Was The Joker himself. Without his purple overcoat, and green vest she saw him wearing on the news, immediately sending warning bells off in her head. While she stared, and he stared right back with a slow smirk spreading on his face, making her breathing speed up. She could almost feel his excitement at her terror.

Emily grasped the wall behind her tightly at hearing him start to speak; her nightmares did not do him, nor his voice any justice in the slightest. He had a slightly nasally sounding voice, with it getting deep and intense when he got angry.

He gestured her closer with his bare hand, saying in what sounded like an amused, playful voice, "Why don't you come in? You know how _rude_ it is to stand in doorways?" Pausing for effect, he leaned forward a little and continued, "In some places, if you stand in a person's doorway for too long... That person has the right to skin the other one alive". He stopped, and watching her facial expression morph into utter horror, was too much for him, and he laughed hysterically. Doubling over, he used the desk to keep himself up.

Watching this was deeply disturbing to her as you can imagine; he laughed crazily for a good two minutes nonstop. She had half a mind to try running, but she feared more the punishment afterwards than the hope of possible freedom. No, she'd wait until his guard was down before making a run for it.

Having finished his laughing fit, he stood straight up to his full height, which seemed huge compared to her, and made her shrink even further into herself. As she did, he walked over to her with his hands clasped behind his back, his smile gone all of a sudden. Stopping directly in front of her trembling form, he reached out and grabbed her bicep, backing up and pulling her reluctant form with him until they were in the middle of the room. He then proceeded to start circling her, and examining. As if she were some cow at an auction he was considering buying. Humiliating.

As he circled, he started to make small talk. As if they were best friends strolling through the park together.

He said, "It was extremely inconvenient for me when you passed out on me the other day. We didn't even get to have the chat then that we're going to have now. But I guess that's beside the point", he sighed theatrically at the end. Those words alone made no sense to her stunned mind.

He stopped his circling to stand in front of her again, staring at her pretty, downcast face. He watched her sniffle, and fight back tears, but as he watched, and without of even a shred of pity, his heart (what was left of it) instead held a viscous excitement at having found a new toy. One that won't disappear on him without a word, or even a letter... Not even a phone call! No. _She_ will never not be there when he was in the mood for some extra fun. Now, he knew she'd never be the worthy adversary he had in _the Bat,_ and she _probably_ couldn't be kicked around as much. But they'll still have fun together (at least he will) and at the moment he wasn't precisely sure just what she will be used for in the long run, or if she'll only be here short-term. He never planned these kinds of things out, ya know.

Still staring intensely, he asked, "What's the matter, huh?" He grasped her chin tightly, licking his bottom lip, saying, "It's the hair, right?" In saying so, he brushed it out of his face with the switchblade he had grabbed from his pants pocket. She looked up at him with confusion, mixed in with her fear. "People just stare at my lovely locks, and don't even look me in the eyes at all", he huffed in a feigned agitated manner.

Then, he locked his eyes intently on her mouth; he was squeezing her face so hard, her lips were parted and puckering. While he stared, slowly sliding his knife into her mouth, he whispered, "Or is it the _scars,_ sweethear **t** -uh?" He leaned in to breathe his next words into her mouth, "You wanna know how I got them?"

Eyes widening, expanding even at the pupils like a frightened mouse before the hungry, feral cat, she did something she never thought she'd have to do to someone; she punched him hard in the groin.

Letting out a garbled half moan/half grunt, he doubled over...laughing? He actually laughed at the pain.

Not wasting any time dwelling on it, she sprinted to the door, pulling on the handle... Only to have it be locked.

" _He must've locked it when your back was turned",_ she thought despairingly.

Turning around so her back was not facing the danger, she gave a shriek of shock when two arms shot out on either side of her, trapping her against the wall. She tried turning away from the terrifying painted face of the man in front of her. Truly, the scars were horrid; she could hardly stand to look at them at all. But her struggles were stopped by a hand grabbing the hair over her forehead, and ramming her head against the wall, disorienting her, and making her fall onto her hands and knees.

Blearily glancing up into the clown's smug face, she wished right then that she could wipe that smirk off his scared lips.

Bending at the knees, placing one hand on his knee, with the other pulling her head back by her braid, he said to her, "Are you going to behave yourself now? Or do I need to enforce some strict punishments, hmmm?"

Instead of submitting like she _should_ have, she insisted on being difficult, and unruly by trying to twist out of his hold on her hair. Just typical. He didn't want to break his new plaything the first day, so he decided on a (in his mind) lighter punishment; A minor breaking of the pinky finger.

Still holding her hair tightly, and keeping her on her knees, he reached for one if the hands clawing at his hand in her hair, and grasped her pinky inside his large fist. Ever so slowly pulling back, he waited to hear the tiny 'snap' before releasing. By that time she was huddled over her throbbing hand, whimpering only lightly as an obvious show of further stupid defiance by not showing him her full pain. Deciding he'd allowed her enough time to sit there, grasping her hair again, he asked her mockingly, "Have you learned your lesson yet, doll face?"

She didn't appear to have given in. In fact, she glared at him hatefully, responding, "That's not my name! My name is Emily. And I will never learn anything from you, you sicko!" Once she stopped her little tantrum, her face paled. Probably realizing how she was not in the position to back talk.

Now that he had not expected; usually when he showed his dominance through physical force, people would do anything to get him to stop. Especially women.. But not her. She fought back once she felt cornered. Making him suddenly, and in a somehow primal way, all the more attached to her.

He grinned at her glowering face, and decided to push her even further. Saying with an overly fake expression of shock, he said, "She speaks? How _delightful_. And here I thought my boys had brought me a mute." He grinned slyly, and said, "Actuallyyyy my dear", he licked the inside of his left cheek before continuing with a growl, "You are who, and _what I say you are! Nothing else!"_ Releasing her hair with a flick of his wrist, he stood up, and watched her lift up her head to look back at him.

Suddenly bouncing back to an excited, nasally tone of voice, he said down to her, "Hey! Why don't we discuss really quickly the termssss-uh of our new situation together". He grinned excitedly. A statement, not a question.

Apprehensive at the way he said 'together' she stammered out, "T-terms..?"

He stooped down to lift her small body off the floor, and held the back of her neck gentler than she'd have expected from him, and drew his other hand's pointer finger down her forehead, to the tip of her nose, tapping twice, before he said, "You, Em-il-yyyy. Need to know the rules of your new home". She bristled at the way his mouth defiled her name, and his use of the word 'home'. This was NOT her home. Period. Her home was with her mom, and Richard. Gosh, she missed them. She wondered when they'd hear the news, and from who.

Oblivious to her obvious sadness, or choosing to ignore it. Probably the latter. He let go of her neck, stepping back he continued with his "rules", gesturing animatedly quite a lot, he started pacing as he talked. Like he couldn't hold still for very long.

"You will do what I say, when I say it, you will eat with me when I choose that, you will ask my permission before, uh, you do things, and if I'm not around, you don't do anything. And. You. Will **never.** Tell me. No. In short; I say jump, and _you saaay_ how. High-uh?"

Something akin to outrage, and horror crossed her face as she asked, "So what am I? A hostage, or a pet?!"

He pretended to think, casting his eyes upwards, and responding, "You could call yourself that... But perhaps in a while you could be more". Snickering internally he said, "We could have little junior Clown Princes running around before you know it", he finished with a wink.

Still cradling her injured hand, she could feel her insides writhe at his insinuation. She watched him walk over to her, and felt herself shrink at the shadow he cast over her. She trembled at his fingers undoing the band in her hair, then weaving them through her tangled head of shoulder length curls. She saw the look in his eyes, and it shook her to her core.

She had quite soft hair, he felt he could run his fingers through it all night. Yank on it until she screamed for mercy. But as of right now, he wanted her rested before tomorrow. Thus, he slid his arm around her shoulders, pulling her to the door, unlocking it, and walking to a door a few feet away, and to the left of his room; he wanted to keep her close by... Just in case.

The door opened, and she was shoved roughly inside, falling onto her side on the mattress in the broom closet sized room. She quickly looked back, fearfully, to see what the Joker would do. But he merely stood there, grinning a dark grin at her.

Suddenly, he said, "Be sure to get plenty of beauty sleep for tomorrow, like me. And remember;" he added cheekily. "If you can't sleep, I'm right down the hall with open arms". Laughing like a deranged Hyena, he was about to leave, and shut the door, cutting off the only light source; the hall light, when she called out, making him turn his head slightly to look at her from the corner of his eye.

She quietly begged him for the first time that night, "Wait, please. Please don't. I can't. I'm, I'm afraid of the dark". She looked up pleadingly. She didn't even know what to ask, she just looked at him searching for a glimmer of decency.

He sighed, faking regret. He looked at her tiny form, and said cruelly with a triumphant look on his face, "You will learn that I control everything in your life now, silly girl. No matter how much you wish it were otherwise". He left, slamming the door, and locking it behind him. She barely heard him finish saying, "Even the, uh, light".

Drawing her legs into her chest, she covered her ears to drown out the crazed laughter, and her own screams...

... The Clown Prince of Crime didn't need a surveillance camera to watch her all night; he listened in rapture as she cried herself to sleep...


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: read chapter two.**

 **A/N,**

 **There is a movie quote in here, and props to anyone who finds it... So pay attention!;-)**

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As The Joker re-applied his war paint the next morning, he thought about the girl.

"Emily", he said lowly to himself, as if tasting her name while finishing with his makeup. He looked himself over, pleased with what he saw.

" _It's enough to_ make _any girl fall at your feet",_ he thought devilishly.

Though, women could also be fainting when they see him from shock... Ah well. He'd think about that later. Donning his purple coat, and then gloves, he stepped out of his room. Hunching his shoulders as he thought, he realized something; He didn't particularly have anything to do right now.

He growled to himself, annoyed. Since Batty won't cooperate by coming out to play, he found he had more time to himself than he'd have liked, and these people were so **far** from seeing the utterly hypocritical lives they lived everyday. Ever since dear old Harvey Dent-uh died three years ago, at the hands of Batman supposedly. The people were acting as if they were immune to his villainy. The nerve of them.

Growing more agitated by the second as he stood in the hallway by himself, he heard barely a whisper of sound from the room a few feet from his.

He cocked his head, before he straightened realizing what the rustling was; it came from the thing who could be an end to his boredom.

Feeling happier, he stalked over to the door, fishing the key out from within one of the many pockets of his coat, opening the door to step inside. Fully intent on waking her up for some _fun,_ he stepped into the room, mildly surprised at his findings.

She lay on the floor in the far right corner of the room, curled up on the unforgiving cement, completely ignoring the bed with a blanket he'd so kindly left her with. She had her back facing the door, with her injured hand resting awkwardly on top of her side, and her other one under her head.

Oddly enough, he thought she looked... Kind of sweet. A word he'd almost never used in his life for anything, or any _one._ Coming to that conclusion, he clasped his hands, stepping to look her over in the early morning light. He found that he couldn't recall ever watching another person sleep... It was strangely pleasant. Feeling curious he checked to see if she was in a deep sleep. She looked to be in a deep enough sleep for what he did next; squatting down, he slid his arms under her, one under the head, and the other behind her knees, lifting her with him as he stood, she winced in her sleep slightly when the move jostled her swollen hand. He walked over to the bed, and sat down on it with her in his lap. She was very light, and he was about to set her in the bed. But, shocking himself he realized... He didn't _want_ to put her down.

It was a new feeling for him; discovering that he took pleasure in holding a person in his arms. It slightly disgusted him having such a weakness. But that did not overrule his feeling of possession over her. Suddenly, it occurred to him like an epiphany; she was his and no one else's. She will rely on him to bring her everything; sustenance, clothes, access to the bathroom, and companionship. No one is impervious to the effects of being left alone in a small, dark room all the time, eventually she will see that he's all she has, and maybe she could join him in a life of crime. They could rule the city together if he felt she was capable of the level of manipulation that he had.

But he's getting ahead of himself, he could decide these things later since she was stirring a little the way one does right before they wake up.

Smirking, he laid her down, and stood behind her head, watching her as she woke up.

She first slowly shifted to her right side, facing the door with her back to him, then she blinked her eyes, and sleepily looked around her with furrowed brows before her head turned in the direction of his creepily smiling form. Once she saw him, her eyes widened, and she yelped pitifully while falling off the foot of the bed in her haste to get away from him.

Instead of laughing like he felt like doing at her predicament, he held it in merely walking slowly, and silently over to her. Skimming his fingers over the mattress to the foot of the bed he tapped his gloved fingers on the metal frame a couple of times. He stared into her eyes, nearly black, meeting honey brown. He could see the tremors in her shoulders, and the hand clenched over her injured hand as if protecting it. He could tell she wasn't just scared. She was down-right terrified of him.

While it sent a jolt of excitement through him seeing her fear, he couldn't explain the enjoyment he took from having her fight back. Where's his little fighter? He figured he would need to do something about that later, but he was kind of in the mood for something else...

Licking his lips, he asked, "Hungry?"

She looked up, surprised. She realized she hadn't eaten for a full 24 hours. Trying to gauge his mood, and failing, she responded, nodding her head timidly.

He grinned cheekily, reaching his gloved hand out for her to take. She looked at it as if it was a snake, before she put her un-injured left hand in his large one. He grasped tightly, yanking her up effortlessly, causing her to be pulled, stumbling after his long, quick strides. After a long walk down the hall, with a few turns, they made it to a metal door the the Joker pushed open revealing a relatively clean kitchen with yellow countertops, wooden cupboards, a small, four chair wooden table in the middle of the room, and an ugly old light fixture above the table.

Pulling out a chair, he sat it it. He looked up at the girl who's hand he still held, saying, "I think you're big enough to get your own food, take what you want, but do not even **think** -uh. About. Running off. 'Cause if you do, and I have to catch you, I will give you a pair of scars of your very own, and even your dear mom Jeanine, and your step-dad Rrrrrrich-ard". He paused, raising his eyebrows. "They won't be safe, either".

He released her now bruised wrist, but she didn't move from his side, stunned at what he had just said, but also resentful, too. "How... How do you know about my parents? I never even told you about them".

Stretching his long legs out in front of him to get more comfortable, he said back to her, "Well, not that I need to answer any of your questions, but, uh, let's just say I have my ways. So you had better no **t** do anything to unnecessarily aggravate me". He over exaggerated his t's, and had a very strange speech pattern, one she couldn't place.

But she wasn't in the least concerned with that, or her hunger pains that were getting worse by the second; she had something to say, and she was going to say it, "You're threatening my parents? Why? What did they ever do to deserve to be on your potential hit list?!"

Snickering at her, he stood up, put his arm around her shoulders, squeezing them saying,"Don't you worry, _sweethearrrrt._ They aren't in any danger as long as you behave yourself". Here he pinched her nose hard, continuing, "And if you ever try and escape to run home to them..." His voice turned dark and sinister, "I will very personally drag you back to Gotham with me but not _before_ I, uh, _slit_ your parent's throats. Got that, doll?"

" _My family could be killed... And it would be all my fault",_ she thought despairingly to herself, suddenly rethinking her hopes of escape.

Seeing no other option but to agree. At least until she could form some kind of plan. She hung her head, her hair falling around her face, and said, "Yes, I understand... I will not try to go back". In saying, she had no clue of her fate she had sealed just then, and the incredible capabilities of the man before her.

She he felt sick at the pleased expression she saw on his painted face. He still has his wiry, muscled arm around her, and used it to pull her close, brushing her curly locks out of her face saying, "Thatta girl". He removed his arm, leaving her standing there go to sit back down propping his brown shoes on the table and gesturing broadly with his hand at the cupboards.

She walked towards them, unsure of a couple of things; if it was wise to turn her back on him, and if she was expected to bring him something as well. She decided that he would have told her if he wanted something, too. She opened each door, trying to act unhurried as she did, even though she wanted to keep him in her line of sight, and eat her food ravenously. Even though there was hardly anything in the cupboards, she found a box of Frosted Flakes.

Thinking that was the best thing here, she got a bowl and poured them in, not even bothering with the possibly spoiled milk, or a spoon, and walked back to sit as far from the demented clown as possible. But she didn't need to worry at the moment as he was more focused on cleaning his knife, constantly looking at his reflection in the knife's surface.

When he put the knife back to lay his eyes on her again, she was nearly done with her bowl of cereal. Feeling self-conscious with his eyes on her like that, and feeling more afraid in the silence, she asked, "Aren't you going to eat?"

"No _p_ e". Was the only response she got.

He found that pretending to clean his knife while watching her out of the corner of his eye as she sneaked glances at him was amusing for a while, but he soon decided to put it away and instead focus solely on her.

He pondered how exactly he should go about integrating her into his world. Should it be through a series of mind games, or throw her unexpectedly into the fray? What would he even _do_ such a small girl? He already knew he wanted her. But how to go about getting her to respond in return... That was the tricky part, but he was fairly confident he could get her to depend on him, and then from dependence to trust. But then, maybe he doesn't need her trust? He could force what he wanted out of her; he'd done it before. But that left you with something completely broken, and totally boring. He thought to try something different instead; break her _juuust_ enough so that she obeyed him without question, but underneath she would be doing it of her own free will, (albeit with a few strings attached) with that fire still smoldering inside of her..now _that_ was something he wanted to try.

Looking at the kitchen clock, he slapped his leather gloved hand on the table, nearly startling Emily out of her skin. Smiling at that, he got up to walk over to her. Placing a hand on her shoulder he said, "Let's get you back to your room. I've got places to go, people to see, I'm sure you understand". He looped her arm through his and walked them back to her 'room' though 'cell' would be far more accurate.

Getting shoved back into the room, she caught herself before falling on her face like yesterday. She turned to see him adjusting the lapels of his coat and ruffling his greasy hair. As he did this he said, "You can just sit there and look pretty till I get back, k?" He looked at her to see her flinch back from his stare. "And if you're verrry good", he purred. "I might bring back something nice for you". He winked slyly before he slammed the door shut behind him...

... Emily tried counting to pass the time, but she soon got tired of it when she reached the hundreds of thousands, she tried napping, and found it impossible with her throbbing, burning hand. She looked at the swollen pinky that she had been trying to keep straight all day. Not that she could have moved it if she tried; it was stiff as a board. She sighed unhappily; she had _him_ to thank for her pain, and utter boredom in this dreary place. She did realize that it could have been a lot worse though; he could have given her his 'smile'. She shivered at the thought. She missed her beloved books. They were so much better than people, they would never trap you against your will, or hurt you... Or leave you. And they were great at helping to pass the time. She remembered many nights she'd spend getting lost in the world of Tolkein while her family was gone working late.

She wondered how her parents were doing, and if they were thinking of her like she was them? She also wondered what would happen to her now. From what she could tell this... _Man_ was totally unpredictable. She wondered what could work to convince him to let her go; begging? No, that would probably only anger him. Trading? Well, what did she have? Whole lot of nothing, that's what.

Unless he wanted...her eyes widened, nearly swallowing up her entire face..

" _Oh, God",_ she thought to herself, gulping in deep breaths to try to calm down. " _He-he couldn't! But how could I stop him if he tried? He hasn't yet. But that doesn't mean he won't! He's a lot stronger than he looks... He might even make me trade that for food...He might... Oh, I just want to go home!"_

Suddenly feeling her earlier meal churning in her stomach, she leaned over her bed with her head between her legs...

... When she heard the door open behind her, to say she was expecting someone else would be an understatement; the person she saw in the doorway was neither of the two people she'd met since being taken here. But given the direction her current thought process was heading, she couldn't find the enthusiasm to greet him the way he greeted her.

"Hello! I'm Mikey, and you must be Emily, right?" The average height, slightly chubby, handsome, black man said to her cheerfully.

Trying to make an attempt at kindness, happy at least, to have someone else to speak to besides the Devil himself today, she said back to him, "Yes... I don't mean to be rude, but... You're one of his thugs... Aren't you?" She looked down expecting the answer.

The guy.. Mikey. Seemed momentarily taken aback; pausing for a split-second before his friendly smile returned, and he stepped into her little room glancing around as he said offhandedly, "Yeah, I am. I was hired as the in-house cook, and kind of a doctor for the Boss (I used to be a nurse at Gotham General you know)". He looked at her strangely saying, "It's kind of chilly in this room... Here". He dug through a shopping bag she didn't realize he'd been holding the whole time, and handed her an actual comforter, in her favorite color; blue.

She took it, looking it over; it appeared brand new. She looked at the strange man in front of her who was looking at her with slight pity until her eyes met his, and he smiled brightly once again at her.

Turning back to head out the door, he stopped almost right after, and turned back digging through the bag again saying exasperatedly, "Almost forgot this! Now where is that..? Ah! Here you go". He handed her a hardback book. "He said you liked to read".

She did not even pay enough attention to ask how the Joker could have possibly known that. She was too excited; A book! He brought her a book! She looked at the title, saw happily that it was Black Beauty! She had been meaning to read this book before she... Before she came to Gotham, and got kidnapped. Nonetheless, she was very happy to have something to do.

She looked up at Mikey with the first full smile she had given since a few days ago, and thanked him, "Thanks so much. I thought I would die of boredom before he ever got around to killing me". How she could joke about her possible murder, she didn't know... Must be that she was just so glad to have something to read.

"Oh it was nothing. I actually also came to give you an ice pack, and wrappings for your finger.. If you'd let me..?" He looked almost apologetic.

" _He must know about the Joker taking me.. He probably sent him here",_ she realized. So the Joker does care about her wellbeing? " _Well yeah, he doesn't want a mutilated bed-buddy"._

Deciding it doesn't matter the reason Mikey is here, she should be glad her finger is getting any treatment at all.

"Of course, yes. Please do".

She he sat while he dressed, and wrapped her throbbing finger. When he was done he handed her the ice pack as he stood up about to leave her again.

Remembering suddenly who she was expecting to come visit her; Her friend Kate.

Calling out, "Wait!" And making Mikey turn back around to look at her with a quizzical look on his handsome face.

She swallowed, and asked worriedly, "Do you know Kate? Kate Bidnell? I haven't seen her since before I met the Joker while she helped me when she wasn't supposed to. And I'm worried for her.. If you know her, can you maybe please tell me where she is?" She pleaded with him.

He now looked worried himself, while he replied, "Actually the Joker sent her on a trip earlier today. And nobody knows how long she will be gone when he sends her on these errands. So I don't really know when to expect her back. But I'm sure it won't be too long". He sounded like he was reassuring himself as he said this.

Disappointed, Emily said, "Well, thanks anyways. And thanks for everything else, too". She held her bandaged hand up to show him.

He smiled a bright smile, his chubby cheeks lifting up handsomely. "It's no trouble. It's actually what I'm here for, now I hope you have a good night tonight, miss." He had a very pleasant sounding voice, she mused. Deep, and smooth. Nothing like the other man she'd met here. He had an unsettling voice that shifted between high and low so much you'd swear he did it intentionally.

After he had left, a white piece of fabric to her left caught her eye. Picking it up, she saw it was a nightgown that must've been wrapped in her blanket.

" _Really? A nightgown?!"_

She didn't even like dresses, never mind wearing one to bed! She now knew without a doubt that the Joker had been the one to get her this stuff. And she didn't like it one bit. If he ever expected her to wear this in his presence he was in for a rude-awakening. It was no more than a slip of a gown! She shook her head, tossing it across the room. Far away from her. As far as one could get in this tiny room...

... Emily had been reading for no more than an hour, waiting for the sun to set through her window, and she would have no light anymore, when none other than Kate should open her cell's door and walk over to her bed with it's new comforter to sit down.

Kate looked mildly exhausted, with her normally straight hair a disheveled mess, and her rigid posture slumping forward slightly.

Emily put her book away, concerned for her friend. Reaching out, she touched her on the knee, asking question after question, "Are you ok? Did you get hurt at all? Where have you been?"

Laughing lightly, Kate said, "I'm all right". Taking a deep breath, she continued, "Just tired; I have not slept for two days. But I'm more concerned about you". Blue/grey eyes turned to light brown anxiously. "I am sorry, did I wake you?"

Slightly annoyed at her friend's avoidance of her questions, but more happy to see her back then anything, Emily said back, "No, I was just reading".

Kate glanced down to see the book half open on the bed, and asked the question eating away at her, "How has he been treating you?"

Emily looked down, not liking talking about guys. Especially answering such a loaded question made her very nervous. "H-he". Her voice shook, so she cleared her throat. "He could have been worse... I suppose".

Looking at her friend's bandaged hand, and seeing the pain in her eyes, Kate understood that she didn't wish to speak of her and her Boss's day and a half together.

Changing the subject, Kate said, "Truthfully... I was sent here to see if you needed to use the restroom, and to bring you some water".

She saw Emily tense, probably because she knew there was only one person who'd send anybody to 'check' on her. Leaning forward to look Emily in the eyes, Kate said sympathetically, "I know this is quite a lot to absorb right now.. But maybe if you got to know him a little, he could be-"

Cutting her off, Emily burst out with righteous indignation, "I don't want to 'get to know him'! I don't want anything to do with him!"

Kate smiled sadly. "I know you came here to save someone else from the same fate". Emily's eyes softened slightly at the thought of her past friend. "But why not try and make the most of it? It might-". She stopped, thinking that was the wrong thing to say right now.

"It might' what?" Emily asked, confused, and still a little upset.

"Nothing, forget I said that; it's not a big deal... Well, good night, Em".

"Wait". She whispered, slightly embarrassed. "Could you please stay? If you don't mind... At least until I fall asleep?" She hurriedly asked.

Kate hugged her friend. Pulling back she said, "Of course, I don't mind at all".

They both lay down, and drew the covers over themselves. Both of them falling asleep within moments, not caring about tomorrow, happy in the friendship they shared now...


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: read chapter 2**

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"Quick question, Kate". Emily said as they sat together on Emily's bed. Kate had been telling her about life in Gotham, and what it's like having only men around her all the time. Kate had been pretty vague, and they had both stopped talking, instead sitting in silence since neither of them were huge talkers. Though Kate being the slightly more talkative one, Emily let her do most of the speaking, even though Kate said as little words as possible.

Kate turned her head quizzically at Emily before she said suspiciously, with her quiet English accent, "Alright.. What is it?"

Emily looked down, thinking through what she would say before answering in a rush, "You know where I lived before coming here.. My parent's names, my best friend's name, my favorite book, my fears, and other inconsequential bits of information about me.." Looking at Kate, who was looking forward with an anxious look on her face. Emily softened her voice. "But I know hardly anything about you. And I'd really like to know a few things about my friend. At least answer this... do you have any family?"

Kate looked to her left, with the back of her head facing Emily. She sat like that; sitting in an awkward silence for so long, Emily thought she would refuse to answer the question entirely. Quickly thinking up something else to say, Emily was about to change the subject, when she heard a faint answer:

"I did".

Surprised, but hardly daring to breathe for fear she wouldn't continue if she did, she waited for Kate to feel comfortable enough to continue.

Shaking her head, Kate faced the door again, still not looking Emily in the eye, as she continued shakily, "Yes... I did have a family once". She slumped forward with her hand over mouth, as she got control over her emotions once again. "I had a son... Gabriel".

"Like the archangel". Emily whispered.

"Exactly; Henry and I thought he was our little angel". She said with a fond smile, reminiscing. "With his big blue eyes, curly blond hair, and the most perfect face you've ever seen". Her grey eyes watered. "He looked like his father... Henry and I thought it would be nice to move to America when Gabriel was just three. He said it would be 'an adventure'. Soon after arriving here, Gabriel was diagnosed with Leukemia... It came from nowhere; I had no idea until the day the doctor told us the news... It was a downhill spiral from there; Henry started drinking heavily, and for four years complained about the cost of Gabriel's treatments, saying we didn't have enough. Then one night, he just left us. Took the last of the money, and ran".

Finally Kate looked Emily in the eyes, "Then the worst thing that could have happened, happened... Gabriel left my life to be an actual angel on June 1st 2007..." She started to sob slightly. "He was only seven." She took several breaths to calm herself. "I was left with no husband, no money, and Gabriel's hospital bills. I heard from a friend that Gotham City Narrows have very cheap houses for rent, and since it was only an hour drive to here, I moved in, and was in the process of trying to find a job, when a shady fellow I met in the streets suggested instead of sleeping around I call this number, he handed me a number and told me to ask for Joker. That was towards the end of 2008... The rest is history".

Once she opened up, it was like a floodgate of information. Though Emily felt that Kate was withholding something, she felt immense pity for her friend.

Reaching to give her a hug, the two sat thusly in a warm embrace for a few moments, when Emily said quietly against Kate's neck, "You deserve to be happy again, Kate. And I hope you do find true happiness someday".

Kate pulled back, saying sadly, "I think that ship has sailed".

When Emily's eyebrows furrowed, showing she didn't understand, Kate smiled slightly, and said, "Once you're in the Joker's service, you don't usually get out... Unless he kills you, and I have considered that thought; nobody really needs me".

Horrified, and mainly for selfish reasons, Emily said, "How can you say that?! I need you. It's selfish, but I do!" Embarrassingly, she started to cry. Quickly burying her face in her hands, she continued, "You're all I have now.. I can't go home; my parents could die, I can't go to Sam's; he probably knows where she lives. You are the only person I have".

Kate tried reassuring her, pulling her hands from her face. "I know. And I don't plan on leaving you anytime soon, I was just stating my feelings on the situation." She remembered she needed to leave before the Joker got back from whatever he was doing. So she gently told her friend, "I have to go right now, Emily". She could see her friend about to object, so she quickly cut it, "But I'll be back, later, ok? Just finish your book, and don't think about the bad things in life, try to focus on something that makes you happy. It's helped me when I'm in a slump". Emily smiled at that. She smiled kindly back as she left through the door...

... Rounding the corner, on her way out she did not expect to see her boss (thinking he'd still be gone for another hour at least) standing in a shadowy hallway... Waiting for her, it seemed. She immediately stopped, standing with her back straight freezing like a startled deer in a meadow staring down the barrel of the hunter's gun.

"Boss." She said, trying to think of what he could want from her, she had just barely gotten back from an errand he'd sent her on already last night before she had spent the night, and half of the morning with Emily.

"Did you need anything, sir?" She ventured with strength behind her words; she had learned that he didn't appreciate mumblers, whiners, and especially squealers. She never intentionally irritated him, still bearing the large scar upon her back from the first and last time she had crossed him.

Stepping up to her, with his hands clasped behind his back, bouncing on his feet slightly he replied high pitched, and nasally, "Yes, actually". He started slowly circling her, as she still held her ground.

"Someone has informed me that you have been... _Conversing_ with my new toy on separate occasions than when I tell you to". Standing no more than three inches away, his nearly black eyes bored into her's. His voice grew deeper with his next sentence, "Is tha **t** _truuuue, Katie?"_

She did not appreciate the nickname, but was too scared seeing the smoldering anger deep in his eyes, and was too confused at why he would ask that, to voice a correction. Instead, she said, "Yes I have spoken with her a couple of times, about various things, but it was nothing really..." She saw the anger bubbling up more on his face. "I just thought she would appreciate some companionship".

That was the wrong thing to say.

Grasping her shoulder, he shoved her hard into the wall. As she tried to not fight back, knowing it would do her no good, he pressed his forearm against her throat, not enough to choke completely. But it was scary, and painful as heck.

Seeming to feel slightly better, seeing her discomfort, he said fake-happily, " _Wellll,_ how... _Nice,_ of you to try making her feel more at home, but here's the thing you need to, uh, get through your head; She. Is. **Mine!** And I do no **t** appreciate my clowns taking it upon themselves to look after something of mine unless I explicitly _say so"._ He quite literally growled.

Pressing hard a final time, he released her to turn and start stalking to Emily's room.

In a lot of pain, but more worried for her friend than anything, and concerned if she'd get to see her again, Kate said weakly, "No, wait".

Surprising her, he stopped for a split-second glaring out of the corner of his eye.

She felt uncomfortable under his gaze to say the least, but continued on anyways "Can I please visit her again? Maybe sometime when you're too busy to deal with-"

"No". He cut her off so calmy, and so uncharacteristicly. She frowned, unsure how to go about asking him to explain himself. Even though he never does, anyways.

He didn't give her time to respond, continuing in a bored tone, "I don't have any further need of you 'seeing' her. In fac **t** ; you can forget about coming to this part of the warehouse _ever_ again-uh, because me and Emily will be spending long amounts of uninterrupted qualit-y time _togetherrr._ To, uh, ya know". He looked up as if searching for the right words. Smiling suddenly, he looked back to her saying. "Get to know each other. Since we will be together for a while, after all".

He gave another wide smile in her direction, before turning on his heel, back towards Emily's room.

" _If he even **tries** anything.. I swear to you, Emily; I will try to avenge you"_ _,_ she thought to herself as she got up. And with a last, worried look in the direction the Joker went, thinking she knew what was about to transpire, she headed in the opposite direction, thinking it best not to give him a reason to kill her. He might do that with no provocation anyways...

... Emily had never liked any of the guys she had come in contact with anyways, and she never liked clowns (who does anyways, she'd like to meet those people?). And this _man_ was a prime example of why she didn't like guys; he had no clue what personal space was, and he touched her a lot more than she was comfortable with, as she stood in the middle of his room, after he had come into her room, taken her book, and made her come with him back here.

She had been standing there for ten minutes already, and all he had done was stare, touch her hair a bit while muttering to himself, then he stood back to stare again, and that's where they were now; she, in the same clothes she'd been abducted in, which were starting to smell something nasty now that she thought about it... And he in his full clown attire; complete with messily applied greasepaint on his face. She never stared for too long at his scars, or his face in general, afraid it might provoke him to do something horrible to her. He might do something anyways, but it's better to be on the safe side.

Through with his staring apparently, he walked over to the desk at the other side of the room, taking his coat, gloves, vest, and suspenders off, the last two made her exponentially more nervous. He looked at her while he unbuttoned his vest, and said coyly, "There's, uh, a change of clothes, and shower in the bathroom over there". He nodded towards the door behind her, saying, "Don't be long.. Or I'll take it as an invitation". His voice was husky towards the end. He smiled almost charmingly..almost.., then winked, waving his hand towards the bathroom, and turning around.

Not connecting the dots, she frowned at the back of his head, and walked to the bathroom. Opening the door, she first smelled a heavy scent of overpowering aftershave.

" _Must've gotten spilled somewhere",_ she thought, turning to lock the door only to find there was no lock!

She realized that if she doesn't hurry, he may very well barge in on her. If he insisted on joining her... She gagged at the thought, quickly undressing, but once she did, she paused to check her bandaged finger; it was still swollen, and red. But she thought it would be after to take off the bandages before getting wet. She tore them off, then went to step in the shower. She saw no women's shampoo or conditioner, just men's shampoo.

 _"Oh that'll do wonders for my hair",_ she thought annoyedly, fingering her dark, curly hair.

But it was all there was, and she was in a hurry, so grabbing it, she squeezed the thick, gooey stuff (probably not used very often) and lathered it, ridding herself of the gross B.O. smell.

Happy to finally be clean, she stepped out, grabbing a semi-clean looking white towel. Then drying herself, and wrapping it around her to be safe in case he did come in. She looked for the clothes he had promised, and found them sitting folded on the tiny counter space.

She inspected the pants first; a pair of black leggings, with dark blue girls Converse shoes. In her size! She had always wanted a pair of them.

Next she picked up a sky blue, off the shoulder, flowing shirt in a thin, soft material, that went halfway down the arms, with a sort of deep neckline, and longer in back so it covers your rear end. She frowned, apart from the slightly indecent neckline of the shirt, this outfit was one she liked, and would have worn to a party. How did the Joker know her favorite styles when her own parents didn't? Besides that, how did he buy the stuff? Surely he didn't go in stores dressed like that? Right?

It hurt too much to think of the world outside of her current entrapment. So instead she focused on redressing, keeping a close watch on the door, just to be safe. Once she was done, and had run her fingers through her hair a few times to make it a little less frizzy, she stepped out to face whatever he had in store for her.

She was scared, slightly confused, a little (okay more than a little) weirded out, and very shocked at what she saw.

It was the Joker, which she expected, but without his usual outfit. He still had the same odd shoes, and the purple pants, but instead of his blue hexagonal shirt, his tie, green vest, and purple gloves, he was instead wearing a plain, deep green button up shirt that was the same color and shade as his green vest. But his attire was not the most shocking, and scary thing to her... It was the fact that he did not have his clown make up on.

He had his eyes closed, and was just finishing rubbing a wet rag over his eyelids, when he tossed it onto the desk, and turned to her with his eyebrows raised, and a slight smirk. Making it immediately apparent to her that he knew she was there the instant she opened the door.

Emily wished she could shrink in on herself, and disappear when she saw the evil smirk on his face directed at her.

Remembering her past upbringing, and unable to help herself, she stuttered out, "T-thank you... For the new clothes".

She looked away from him when his smile widened, and he walked over to stand on her right side, he looped his arm through her's, and drew her close to his side, watching her grow extremely tense, feeling his bare hand on the skin of her shoulder.

She could tell he took pleasure at her discomfort, so she tried to relax herself. But that turned out to be impossible when he leaned his nose in to 'innocently' sniff her temple.

Not liking it one bit, and deciding she should do something instead of be a doormat, she elbowed him in the side, and tried to make a break for it, not caring if he chased her or not. But instead of him clutching his side in pain like he should have, he grabbed his other arm around her frame so she was turned with her head buried in his chest where she could hear a rumbling chuckle build into a crazy fit of giggles.

She was freaked out by this, to put it lightly.

Still giggling crazily, though quieter than before, he leaned once again to sniff her head, pleased when she didn't struggle. Though she did flinch, which was to be expected when a strange guy sniffs a girl's head who's trapped in his arms against her will. Still, she was behaving, and not fighting him, which was what he wanted for the moment.

Grasping tighter to her arms to convey the enormity of his next question to her, he squeezed, and leaned into her ear, saying in a teasing voice, "If you will behave for a few minutes like a _good girllll"._ He licked his lips by her ear, unintentionally touching her with it. She had to push her head harder against his chest, trying to escape the hot breath, and gross feeling of his tongue on her ear, as he continued in a almost-croon, "I'll take you for a walk outside. Is that ok with you, _sweethear_ **t**?"

He let her go then, standing in front of her with an expectant expression in his paint-less face.

She glared at him. Beyond angry at him for holding her like that; never having been held by any guy other than her father. And she found she especially didn't like it when anyone smothers her. Was that considered smothering? She didn't know, but the term worked for her right now.

Feeling emboldened by her anger, she said, "Why exactly should I be good for you?" She practically spat out through her teeth. "You have done nothing to deserve my cooperation. Find someone else to be your toy to take out, and put away when you feel like it! I'm sure you've got plenty of crazy fan girls who would die to be in my shoes, even though I can't imagine why; you are a crazy, scary, controlling freak!".

She knew she had angered him beyond the point of return the instant she saw the black fire outing from his eyes, but she had one last thing to say before her voice completely broke from the tears. Her voice quavering, as she looked up through teary eyelashes that blurred his face, she asked quietly, "Why? Why can't you just let me go?"

Of course he was livid with anger. Questioning him? Telling him what to do? Calling him names? How dare the little..?! But thinking his anger through (he wasn't one to make spur of the moment decisions, and then act on them ya know.. No matter how much he wanted to wring her pretty little neck) underneath, he felt the need to answer her question. Because if anything she needed to know what was expected of her else how would they co-exist for any period of time together? He still believed she could be a great little partner in crime...or, the right _tool_.. someday, with the right prodding. He might have someone else thinking the same way as him, and ruling Gotham, or as an _example_ for Gotham.

Nodding to himself, now calmer, he put his warm, long fingered hand under her chin, lifting it up, to look deep in her light brown eyes. She cringed, closing her eyes, probably expecting a blow. But when it wasn't forthcoming, her eyes slowly peeked open, looking at him in open puzzlement.

He tightened his fingers as he started to speak to her, talking down to her mockingly, making her bristle angrily. Like he knew something she didn't. "You are, uh, _staying_ here becauuuuse I like you, and I think we can be great together someday".

 _"No",_ she thought to herself. Understanding finally what he really wanted, and it was worse than she'd originally thought.

Letting her face go, he grasped his fingers around her bicep instead, pulling her with him out his room's door, as he remarked exasperatedly, "Now let's go. I did not get this evening together for you to ruin it with your bad attitud-uh".

Once they reached the end of the hall, he turned to her with a mischievous look in his dark eyes, as he pulled a blindfold from within his sirt's sleeve. He playfully said to her as she looked at the blindfold with wide eyes, "Can't have you knowing the way out of here, can we? No. No we can-no ** _t_** ".

She watched him smile like she imagined the Devil would as he dragged a poor soul down to Hell with him, as he tied the fabric around her head.

It was like her worst fear fully realized; she was _alone,_ in the _dark,_ with _him._ She despised the feeling of his hands on her pale shoulders pushing her forward.

They walked for some time, with a couple of turns, then a set of stairs heading down that he didn't even warn her about, and she just barely caught herself on the railing before falling down. She mentally sent a curse his direction, but didn't dare say what she thought aloud.

Mercifully, they stopped, and she felt him slowly undo her blindfold.

They were at the end of a dim hallway, standing in front of a wide door with light peeking under it. She stepped forward eagerly, but was stopped when the Joker grabbed her wrist in a vice grip stating, "If you do even a little thing... Well, I'd hate to have your parents be punished for your mistake, wouldn't you agree, hm?"

Emily was tempted to yell again, but with the promise of the outside right in front of her, and it depending on her behavior, she went the obedient route, nodding her consent.

He squeezed harder, asking, "What was that? Sorry, I didn't quiiiiite catch that?" Tilting his ear towards her for emphasis.

She ground out, "I'll. Be. Good".

He let go to step and open up the door saying excitedly, "Grea **t** ".

He opened it in front of her. She squinted; nearly being blinded by the intensity of the sun. Her eyes adjusted quickly, though as she looked on in wonder; there was long stretches of dirt, some sparse weeds and grass, along with bits of trash scattered throughout this field and beyond it a tall chain link fence encompassing the whole of the lot. But that was not what held her attention.

It was close to sunset (which felt symbolic to her, since she just learned today that the sun has set on her old life, and she must make do in her new one somehow), the lot ended at the bay, it's water reflecting the sun's radiance. She had never been much of an outdoorsy girl, but having nothing of the sun besides through her tiny window, she realized you never know how much you appreciate something until it's gone. Not having the freedom she once did, was taking a toll, but she had hope that maybe he would change his mind about her. Perhaps if she did something to truly anger him? It might work...

 _"Emilyyy..."_ A voice sang behind her. " _Come herrre"_

She groaned internally, turning back to see that she had walked a fair distance away. She was surprised he hadn't stopped her sooner. Though where would she go? There was nowhere to run to. She figured he did that on purpose. She begrudgingly walked back over to him. Stopping in front of him, waiting.

What he did next, was so unexpected, she stood silently for a full minute before taking what was in his hand.

He had given her a slightly rumpled purple rose. She loved all flowers. Even ones, she realized with slight disdain for herself, that came from him.

She smiled lightly. At the flower, not at him. But in his mind it was a start in the right direction. Maybe she'll give in sooner than he'd originally thought...


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: read chapter 2**

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Finishing up Black Beauty, and delving into it's mesmerizing story would be quite enjoyable...Were it not for the fact that she couldn't focus on it, since she was currently in _the Joker's_ room, sitting on _the Joker's_ bed! While said person sat at the beat up desk on the other side of the room, with his back to her as he grumbled occasionally, ruffling papers, cleaning objects you use for murder, and overall ignoring her. Which worked for her just fine.

They did not stay outside long enough to see the sunset, which had disappointed her. He had taken her back inside blindfolded again, this time all the way to his room, where he took it off revealing her favorite foods laid out on the bed; sautéed chicken, red grapes, and hash browns. It had occurred to her that she had weird tastes in food combinations.

Emily had turned to look at the Joker questioningly, but he only smirked and guided her to the bed to have her sit down upon it. Once he was sitting opposite her, he seemed to wait and see what she would do, staying perfectly still, and studying her disconcertingly as one would a rare bird they happened upon in the wilderness.

Though she was starving, she waited a few moments to see if he would say anything. When no words were forthcoming, she slowly reached for a piece of meat while keeping her eyes on him all the while, the same as he was doing to her.

After she ate a bit, and he still hadn't, she thought belatedly that maybe the food was poisoned, and that was why he wasn't eating. Perhaps he had already grown bored and decided to off her in the cleanest way possible. She was suddenly sick to her stomach, and she stopped eating.

As he was still staring, he of course noticed when she stopped immediately, so he smiled at her slightly less menacing than he normally does. Or it could be the fact that he didn't have his make up on to make him look intimidating. Who knows? He said, with fake concern lacing his nasally voice, "Something wrong, _dear?"_

He touched his bare hand to his chest, asking, "You don't like the food?" He tucked his chin a little looking up at her. "I had Mikey make it specifically for you. The least you could do is show some gratitude". The last part was said with just a tinge of menace. Only a little, but she picked up on it- it was like a claw slowly being pulled out of its sheath.

She could also see the growing anger in his dark eyes, and not wanting to push his buttons at the moment since she was having the most... Pleasant night since being kidnapped.

But she was still worried about him putting poison in her food, so she felt like she had to ask him. Just to be sure. Of course, he could lie to her, but that can't be helped at the moment. "I was just wondering... Why you aren't eating..? I thought maybe... You had..." She couldn't finish, knowing how easy it was to provoke his wrath.

Her worries were for naught, though as he brightened, and started to laugh a crazily high pitched laugh. She unconsciously scooted away a bit to distance herself from the madman. It was so strange to see a person act so... _Abnormal._ Everyday people do not act like him. And when you're suddenly thrust into scenarios with a human who behaves so out of the what we consider 'ordinary'... It really makes you question things. Like how could someone end up this way?

He calmed down fairly quickly (for him), and looked at her in genuine amusement, saying, "You think I'd go through _alll_ this, uh, trouble jus **t** to kill you over dinner?" He shook his head of greenish/blonde curls, as he said mockingly, "I'm not gonna kill _youuu"._ He turned his head to the side, still eyeballing her as he did a questioning gesture with his hands. "What would I do _without you?_ Go back to waiting for the Bat to finally make an appearance? I don't..think so.."

She had no answer, but she wondered if it was a rhetorical question, anyways. At least, (if he's even telling the truth) he won't kill her while she's here. But that's not a very uplifting thought because he could do other _things_ to her during her stay. She shuddered, trying to think of something else like Kate told her to. Speaking of her, she wondered when she could see her again? But she wasn't sure how that would go over if she asked the Joker that question...

After saying that, he hopped off of the bed, and turned back to her with a slight smirk to rub her head, before he walked over to the desk and sat at it once again. She ate a little more, and after she was full enough, she cleared away the dishes, like she did at home after dinner, and took them off the bed setting them on the trunk at the foot of the bed. The Joker glanced at her strangely as she did so, but turned back to his work just as fast.

She was about to leave for her room when he called to her. "Not so fast."

She turned to look at him, puzzled at what he could want. Nothing bad, she hoped.

He glanced at her, while casually cleaning his knife as he said rather nonchalantly, "Re-member what I, uh, _said_ about showing me your _gratitude, swee **t** ie?"_

Emily refrained from mentioning that she shouldn't have to show her captor any gratitude whatsoever, but thought that probably would end with her getting in trouble.

He was unaware of her irritation as he said, "You can just stay in _here_ so that I can keep an eye on you if you try anything- _uh"._ She didn't think it was coincidental that he twirled a knife in his fingers as he said this.

Resigned to staying in here, because how could she get away from him in his own huge warehouse, she asked begrudgingly, but not disrespectfully, "And what am I supposed to do in here?"

She narrowed her eyes as he smiled, and pulled open a desk drawer, revealing her book to her. She excitedly started walking forward to take it, but stopped and looked at him, seeing a mischievous look in his eyes. She was only a few inches away, starting to reach for it, but he suddenly put the book back in the drawer.

She was about to question him angrily, but he quickly cut in, with that irritating smirk still on his scarred lips.

"I'll give you back this book to read, _if_ youuuu... hmm" , he pretended to think, tapping his ling fingers on the desk for a couple moments before his eyes met hers again, blazing with dark mirth and a wicked smirk upon his lips as he finished his thought, "spend the night here".

She seriously thought he had a screw loose and felt that she was somehow missing something entirely. "I've been sleeping here already..."

The glint in his eye that brightened as she said this, confirmed to her that she indeed was missing something that was extremely obvious.

"I mean in here. With me. Emily". He said at length, his husky voice seemed to caress her name. She didn't like the sound of it at all, especially the way his voice could cause goosebumps to appear all over her arms and her hair on the back of her neck to stand on end.

She immediately skittered back from his seated form, shaking her head vigorously as she stammered out, "I- I won't sleep with you." Her voice cracked as she tried to keep it steady. "You can keep my book, and I'll just sit here without anything to do for a-as long as you want... But you can't make me..sleep.. in here".

"Mmm". He hummed, looking very pleased with himself. It was obviously apparent how much he liked when she was afraid, and outspoken at the same time.

He got up, hunching his broad shoulders, walking up to her with an odd, reassuring smile. "Oh, I can't make you, can I? You seem to constantly be underestimating me". He tapped her nose, then cupped the side of her face in his right hand, making her wince lightly. He whispered to her, "If you're so... _Adverse_ to the idea, then maybe you're friend.. Sam, right? Maybe _she_ could take your place". Pausing for effect, as he ran his tongue over the scars inside his left cheek, revelling in how he was twisting the truth to suit his wishes. He had no use for Sam..Emily, on the other hand, did not have to know that, especially if his twisted lies evoked the desired response from her. Then he leaned further into her space as he added the final nail to the coffin, saying, "She lives somewhere around here, right?"

Emily froze still, staring up at him in horror while feeling her face lose all trace of color. If she didn't obey, and Sam replaced her, then all she'd already done for her friend would be for nothing. She knew what she had to do to appease him.

He read her face like an open book, seeing even before she herself felt it; her losing the will to fight him on this, so he further prompted, overly cheerily for what was being sealed, "So, which is it; you?...or her?"

Disgusted with herself for being unable to find an alternative, or at least stall him, she said shakily, "Please, not her. She hasn't done anything to you... I'll stay in here".

She closed her watery eyes, as the thumb on his large hand that was still holding her face, started to rub her cheek a bit too roughly to be considered comforting.

He gave a yellow toothed, cheeky grin as he stated in a nasally, excited tone of voice, "Greeeat".

Then he surprised her for the umpteenth time today by doing something she didn't think him capable of; he pressed his ruby red stained lips on her in an actually tender kiss to her forehead. He broke away not too long after, to walk back to his desk, tossing her book on the bed, as he continued writing stuff down.

Emily didn't know what to think; she was too stunned, afraid, confused and sad, so she chose instead to go over to the bed and start to read her book to take her mind off of things...

... That was what had transpired between her lovely (albeit, short) trip outside, to right now as she sat wondering what the heck would happen tonight. She could feel her nerves growing with each twitch of his hands on papers, every shift his body made.

It couldn't have been more than two hours as she sat barely paying attention to her book while he was still sitting across from her... She was sitting across from Gotham's most wanted criminal! Who knows what he will want to do with her. She understood how lucky she was to still be alive.

He startled her when he abruptly rose from his seat, cracking his back before stalking out his bedroom door. Strange; he left her alone. But her thoughts of trying to escape while he was gone were pointless as he returned barely a minute later to toss a wad of fabric at her on the bed, on his way to the bathroom. He closed the door behind him with a slam.

Reaching for what he had thrown, she recognized it with a start; it was the night dress she had discarded on her cell's floor. It took her a second to conclude why he had tossed it at her, and it did not sit well with her; He wanted her to wear it tonight...

" _No. WAY.",_ she thought viciously. " _Is it not enough for him that I'll be sleeping in here, now I have to wear this as well? Screw that; if he wants me in this, he'll have to make me put it on"._ She shuddered, well aware that he would.

He wasn't in there long, before he reappeared wet headed, and... shirtless! She looked away in a fit of embarrassment, her cheeks reddening.

After coming out of the bathroom, he was first amused with her very apparent discomfort at his state of undress. But right after that he saw that she wasn't wearing the pajamas he had very specifically gotten for her. Unlike all the other stuff he'd gotten for her that he knew she liked, this happened to be something _he_ liked. On her. And as such, she was going to wear it. Of that he was absolutely certain.

The Joker frowned, and walked to stand over her next to the bed as she sat on it still not looking at him. He felt like messing with her a bit when he said in a tone of voice a parent uses to scold a naughty child, "Now, Emily". He waited for her to bring her eyes to his face before he continued in the same tone, "Why aren't you wearing my gift for you?" He quickly licked his lips as they stared at each other.

Thinking fast since he was obviously going to push this, she decided to lie. "I didn't know you wanted me to wear it".

" _How clever, Emily",_ she thought sarcastically to herself. " _That's really going to hinder him in his plans for you"_

Just as she expected; it did in fact not stop him. He just looked more eager in the face of a challenge.

He raised his eyebrows comically, and smiled a dark smile as he responded to her, "Hmm. Tell me, _Emilyyy;_ did I happen to mention... how much I hate lies?!" His voice grew steadily deeper until he was practically growling by the end.

She tried to be smarter with her next word choice, visibly shaken, but trying not to show it. "You told me I must never tell you no". She paused, watching his face shift, as he started to look more interested in her words than feeling really angry. So she continued tentatively, "B-but you never actually TOLD me to wear that". Using her quick burst of indignation that she felt, she added, "And I'd really rather not wear it, anyways".

"Well I'm sorry to have to say this". Though he sounded anything but. "But I am _now tell-ing_ you, to put this on". He grabbed it then handed it to her with an annoyed air. "And if you don't go in there," he pointed towards his bathroom. "Within the next few minutes, and _change-uh..."_ His voice turned husky, as he said matter of factly, "I will have you do it _out herrre"._ He rested his hands on either side of her, leaning down into her face as he said with finality, "Wether you like it, or no **t** ". He over enunciated the t's, and his voice kept lilting from deep and masculine, to high pitched and clown-like.

Externally, she nodded her head in acquiescence, though inside she was a mixture of gut-wrenching fear, and an unexplainable fiery anger at being spoken to that way.

He stood back slightly to allow her to get up as she grabbed the stupid garment, and walked to the bathroom. She did shut the door a little louder than necessary, and she knew she was acting like an impetuous child. But she couldn't help it; it was a flaw in her character that reared it's ugly head when she was forced into doing something she _really_ did not want to do. Like right now.

She clenched her hands at the clothes, willing them out of existence, as she thought to herself, " _Well, if he's going to_ make _me do this, then I'm taking my own sweet time"._

She decided on a quick leg shave first. She used the time she took searching for an extra razor, and shaving to think. What does he have going through his head that they would do tonight? She was actually playing this a lot cooler than she felt on the inside, because as she did a basic bathroom routine, she could feel her stomach clench up more and more until it felt like she couldn't even breathe. Why her? What made her different from any number of girls who could take her place? But she knew deep down that she couldn't live with herself if someone else suffered just so she might live a normal life. She wondered what mom and Richard were doing? They had surely heard the news by now, so what was going through their heads? Was Richard feeling the loss of a child all over again, even though they weren't blood related? And her mother.

Emily couldn't even move at the thought of her mom's kind eyes, her warm smile, and loving embrace. She could feel her eyes watering at her thoughts of her mom; she was her mother's only child. What did it feel like to lose someone you had carried, birthed, raised, taught valuable life lessons, and watched grow up? Pretty horrible, she imagined. She wished she could tell her that she's ok right now, she's not dead. But she highly doubted the Joker would just let her see them, or talk to them even for a moment. There was nothing to be gained for him. He wasn't made famous for his consideration for other people's lives. There was no way her parents could even know who she's with, she realized in sadness. Sam was the only one there at her abduction, and she had no way of knowing who the 'boss' the thugs were referring to was. So no one had any idea about her current situation.

It wasn't a pleasant thought, to say the least.

She was done with her legs, and couldn't think how to delay anymore, so she put the hated pajamas on. Looking herself over, it wasn't that bad an outfit. Unless you were revealing more than you wanted in front of someone who scared you. Which was exactly what was happening right now.

It was sleeveless, not sheer like she at first thought, it reached mid-thigh, was very flowy, and overall it looked...innocent.

She put her hand on the door handle, took a shaky breath to steady her frazzled nerves, opened the creaky door before she lost her resolve entirely and turned around to hide in the corner of the bathroom instead of coming out.

The overhead light was off, with the only light source coming from directly to her left, on a bedside nightstand. And right next to it, with the covers pulled up to his waist, the Joker lay against the headboard his hands laced behind his head with his eyes closed.

Staring at his profile in anticipation as she walked self-consciously around him, to the foot of the bed. She waited, hoping against hope that when he said he wanted her to sleep here, that he meant on the floor. She would pick sleeping at his feet like a dog, over sharing his bed any day of the week.

After a couple minutes, when she thought he had fallen asleep, he peeked an eye open, and the left side of his mouth lifted. When he spoke next, in a whisper, it nearly startled the life out of her. "No need to be shy". He removed a hand from behinds his head to rub the purple comforter on his left side, as he stated overly sweet in his high pitched voice, "You're not gonna get _eaten_ if you get into bed". He licked the left corner of his mouth in a way that was, to her, all too suggestive.

Her stomach clenched tighter, she was so worried if he still had his pants on underneath the covers or not. She desperately hoped so. She hugged her arm around her middle to try relieving the pain there. It didn't do much good as she walked like that over to the empty side of the bed while he watched her like a hawk.

Quickly glancing into his eyes to find them still staring at her, she immediately looked away, and shyly lifted the covers to climb in bed. Once the sheets were pulled over her, she lay on her side with her back facing him. She was hoping that would be good enough.

Of course, things are never that simple in her life anymore, she realized with a start once she heard a faint giggle, and felt the covers lift over her as he slid to press up against her back.

" _No. No! No! No! NO! He's going to-",_ she felt an immense feeling of panic overwhelm her system. Expecting to have naked flesh against her clothes rear, the pants he was wearing did little to help quell her fears.

Not thinking clearly, she flailed about under the sheets, as she babbled incoherent pleas, promises, and cries. She tried turning into him to punch him in the face, but he seemed to expect it for he reached an arm over her as she lay on her back, holding her arms down, and sliding a leg over her's to subdue her completely.

She still whimpered quietly as they both lay still with her breathing heavily as she stared at his immensely amused expression.

She turned her head away when he lifted a hand to brush his fingers through her curls. He asked her with an eyebrow raised, "What was that about, hm?"

She tried to get her heart rate under control enough to be able to form words. Though it quickly became clear to her that she couldn't speak just yet, she turned herself to face his chest to show him she held some trust in him in hopes it would appease him. If he even cared about gaining her trust.

He looked down at her curled against him, while he lay on his side still holding her down. She was wide eyed, breathing heavily, as she started to form shaky, quiet words, "Please". She looked up into his face just inches from her's, with pleading written all over her features. "I will do anything, just please don't-"

"Don't' _wha **t**_?", he asked lowly with a raised eyebrow. Then he smirked devilishly as he leaned to whisper in her ear, "Don't... Ra _p_ e you?" He popped the p loudly in her ear as if to try and scare her more than she already was.

He pulled back to look in her face; all wide honey brown eyes, and parted light pink lips. He stared at her lips intently, wondering what they would feel like if he pressed his to hers. It had been a while since he'd kissed a woman before. He pondered how Emily would react to that, not that it really mattered; if he wanted to, then he would. Looking back into her eyes and he saw that she looked on the verge of a panic attack. And he didn't want to deal with that right now since he was pretty tired. Thus he looked up, taking a deep breathe and sighing theatrically. His sour breath fanned across her face.

He looked down from glancing at the ceiling to look into her eyes again saying exasperatedly, "You really think that _I_ would do that to you? Me? Now, I'm not perfect, but I like to think of myself as a much _better_ class of criminal than, uh, the other low-life scumbags you see out on the streets." He moved his arm up from holding hers down to cup her face in his hand saying less-menacingly than normal, "I will force quite a few things from you... But I would _not_ force that one from you. No **t** _ev-er_ ". He scowled at her angrily. Unhappy that she would just lump him in with every other villain... including his thugs!

He turned around to switch off the lamp as he said, "I'm tired. And it's late, so let's _tryy to_ get some shut eye". The next instant they were bathed in blackness.

Emily felt his bare arms wrap around her, with her arms brushing his. She stiffened in the gloom, slightly petrified being unable to see his face, only feeling his arms constrict around her. She was exhausted from today, though so she soon fell into a restless sleep trapped in the arms of The Joker...


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: read chapter 2**

 **A/N**

 **Not a whole lot going on this chapter. But trust me; there will be much more in the next one;)**

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Blinking his dark eyes open, the Joker looked at the closed blinds with the sun peeking through them. He glared at the light as if he could make it go away if he got angry enough. But sadly, the light just continued to beat through not caring of the troubles it caused with the start of a new day.

He looked down at Emily. Staring at the side of her face, he noticed the dried salty tear streaks down it. He rubbed her face with his fingers, surprised at himself that he felt the urge to hold her close. Very close; he felt a whisper of concern for if she could breathe or not, but that feeling was quashed with his usual cold, and uncaring attitude towards other human beings in general. He was also rather surprised that he had slept so well. He usually slept for 3-4 hours at night. When he actually did go to bed at all. He figured it had something to do with the girl sleeping next to him. Last night he had waited at least an hour for her crying to subside, and she fell asleep before he even thought about closing his eyes. He had never let go of her.

He had yet to figure out what made him so fascinated with her. He knew he liked her feistiness, and she was pretty. But looks weren't everything. Even he knew that. So what was it about her? Was it how she could be quiet, and obedient one minute, and then suddenly explode angrily, going so far as to insult him the next minute? He didn't know yet. But he did know that he'd be lying if he said he didn't enjoy holding her last night to some extent. It had been so long that he had nothing to base on the feeling of contentment he felt while he held her. He just felt more at ease than he could remember being in a long time.

He had figured last night that she may as well sleep with him since there was really no point to her being in another room away from him when he was home from his... _Excursions._

Speaking of excursions, he smiled at the thought of what they were going to be doing tomorrow. " _Someone is in for a surprise",_ he sang in his head, with wicked satisfaction. _"Or should I say,_ someonesss".

He looked at the clock on the other side of the room, and decided it was time to get up. He looked down at Emily somewhat fondly for a moment, before sliding his arms off her, not really taking care to not wake her, and got off the bed to walk over to his suit laying over the back of the chair.

After donning his infamous purple suit, complete with overcoat, and gloves. And after he had just finished with applying his war paint, there was a quick knock at his door.

His head snapped in that direction, and he put his gloved hand in his pocket to grasp his pistol just in case. Then he walked over to the door, yanking it open to reveal a very surprised Mikey. Recovering quickly, he spoke urgently to the Joker.

"Boss, he's on the phone now. Says it's urgent."

The Joker smiled suddenly, saying mysteriously back, " _Outstanding"._

Turning his head around to look at his sleeping girl one more time, he licked his lips before turning back to Mikey.

"You stay in here, and _watch herr._ Make _sure_ to keep an eye on her. But _no. Touch-ing"._ He growled with his finger pointed at Mikey's chest.

Mikey swallowed, but smiled his handsome smile, and responded, "Sure thing, Boss".

The Joker's eyes narrowed, and he stalked past Mikey down the hall...

... Emily woke up to bright sunlight shining on her face. She stared with furrowed brows at the window. She couldn't remember there being a window that big in her room in the Joker's warehouse.

Bolting upright, and ripping the covers off herself, she remembered exactly who's room she was in and she looked around for the Joker, convinced he was in here somewhere. But not immediately seeing him, she was able to relax slightly, putting a hand to her racing heart. Waking up by herself was far preferable than waking up screaming in the Joker's arms. She looked at the blinds again, enjoying the look of the sun peeking through.

" _Wait. A window... Big enough for me to fit through!"_

She excitedly ran to it and lifted the blinds up. Only to see that this window couldn't be opened, and if she tried breaking it then she was sure someone would hear, and stop her. Her shoulders fell in disappointment as she looked longingly at the slightly cloudy day. She wondered if it would maybe rain, she did love rainy days. They brought a crisp smell to the otherwise polluted New York air. But she was in Gotham now, and it seemed that basically everyday was cloudy. She sighed sadly thinking of home...

Just as she started to feel so hungry she thought her stomach would consume itself, the door opened and Kate walked in along with a smiling Mikey.

Emily turned from the window, looking down at her attire in embarrassment; now there was another man seeing her dressed this way. But luckily Kate came up to her and handed her some clothes with a slight smile.

Emily smiled happily back at her and said with conviction, "I missed you. How've you been?"

Kate looked down for a second, then looking back up, she said quietly, "I'll tell you later. You probably want to get changed".

Emily now remembered how pleasant it is to be around Kate; with her quiet, English accent, her motherly nature that made Emily think of her own mom, and of course Emily pitied her for the loss of her son. She imagined her parents are feeling the same way Kate did then right about now. She thought of times before her mom remarried when they would go to the park nearby to feed the ducks there some old bread, she loved seeing the cute little creatures with their little quacks, and cute tail feathers.

She forced her mind to release the now useless memories of her mom. They wouldn't help her right now. Unless she used them as a motivation to escape as quickly as possible, unlikely as that was.

Drawing back to the present, she realized Kate was right; she does need to change out of these ridiculous pajamas. She took the clothes with a grateful half smile that Kate returned. Emily walked past Mikey to the bathroom, while he kept staring at Kate when he thought she wasn't looking.

Inside the bathroom, she quickly changed into jeans, which was nice, and a long sleeved dark blue T-shirt. She put the Converse shoes from yesterday back on, and walked back into the room. She first noticed that Kate was gone. She wondered why Kate left so soon. She wanted to ask her a few things. And she saw Mikey sitting on the floor in front of the desk chair reading her book.

She walked behind him to look over his shoulder.

He quickly noticed her presence, and snapped the book shut, turning to look at her with a friendly smile. He held up the book, stating conversationally, "This is a good book. I had to read it when I was a kid in school for a book report. I hated it then, but now I don't think it's half bad. Or I just really love books as an adult, and did not as a kid. I was pretty rambunctious". He said this with cheer she could not share, then he gestured to the seat in front of him, quickly jumping to another topic, saying, "I thought I'd take a quick look to see if you're finger is healing fine".

Her finger? Oh! He means the injury from her first day here. The injury the Joker inflicted. The memory stung too much to think about right now. She knew if she dwelled on it too long then she would be reduced to a crying mess, since she was all too aware that she couldn't do a thing if he felt like giving her a 'smile' like his. She cringed at the monstrous image.

Sitting in the desk chair like he said, she held out the still a little swollen finger to him. He held her hand very gently, in complete contrast to how the Joker handled her; where he was rough, and violent, Mikey was gentle, and considerate. She liked his relaxed, happy demeanor.

While he pressed on her finger to try and gauge the damage, she sucked in a quick breathe, though it didn't hurt as much as it did a couple days ago. He looked at her apologetically. After he finished prodding her finger, he stated, "It doesn't appear to be seriously broken after all. More like a minor break than anything. But I'm no doctor so don't quote me on that". He did an exaggerated, goofy wink in her direction.

She smiled slightly back. Then they both heard an audible rumble from her gut area. Mikey pointed to the bed, saying nicely, "Kate left you some food on the bed for when you got hungry. Which I'm guessing is right now."

She laughed lightly in response, getting up to go over to the bed. She sat on it, eating all the food that had been left; a McDonald's hamburger, with some fries, and a large water. Still thirsty, she then drank some water from the bathroom faucet, not caring about wether it was clean or not. As if dying from contaminated water would be that high on her worries list.

Then she sat in the bed for a few minutes, bored out of her mind just watching Mikey read Black Beauty with an enraptured look on his face.

"You can have it". She called out.

He looked up at her, looking a little confused.

"The book. You can have it; I've finished it anyways". She shrugged, looking down at her hands.

"Wow", Mikey said from the desk chair. "You're fast. Are you sure you don't want it anymore?" He looked concerned.

She shook her head that no she didn't want it.

Mikey beamed. "Hey, thanks. I haven't had a new book to read in a while. I'll try to read this as fast as you did".

"Good luck", she kidded. It felt good to be a little lighthearted, since things seemed so heavy lately. Funny, since she has been held captive by _The Joker_. You'd think things would be more lighthearted around him with a ridiculous name like that.

He laughed at her earlier comment, turning back to the book. She watched him for a little longer, before turning to count the cracks on the ceiling. Still bored, she started to hum a tune to herself, getting lost in her thoughts of how nice it would be to walk around outside, and what she'd do if she was allowed to, she started to actually sing instead of just hum.

She didn't notice when Mikey stopped reading, and looked at her in surprise the whole time she was singing; he thought she was a rather quiet girl. At least that's what the Joker said. She had sang the whole song, and let it die in her throat when she saw him looking at her. She expected him to say something right away like he normally does.

But he didn't, he just kept looking for another minute, and then he put the book down, asking her, "Did you used to sing in a choir or something at home?" He seemed genuinely curious, and not at all aware of the pain she felt inside at everyone's casual manner with how they mentioned her past.

Why did she have to come to Gotham? Why couldn't she be grateful for the attention she got from her parents back home, instead of looking for it in her best friend? How ironic that she was now getting the attention she craved. From someone she wanted nothing to do with! She certainly wished that she hadn't interested him in the slightest. Maybe if she didn't interest him, then he wouldn't want her anymore, and he'd stop coming on to her. Not likely.

She realized Mikey was still waiting for a response, so she said despondently, "No. I rarely sing, it's just when I sometimes feel like it."

"What's your favorite song?"

"Well... I like Christmas time, and I like this American Idol singer; Lauren Alaina... So I think one of my favorites is her version of the song My Grownup Christmas List". Her eyes seemed to glow at the thought of watching her favorite show like she used to.

"Would you mind singing it? I think you've got a great voice". He smiled encouragingly.

Her cheeks reddened, she looked down at her lap and said, "I-I don't know about that".

He could tell she was uncomfortable, and he didn't mean to upset her, he just thought that doing something she liked might lift her spirits. He hastily assured her, "You don't have to. I just thought you'd enjoy singing right now. Don't mind me!" He picked up the book again, and started to read, obviously trying to look very interested in the words in front of him.

Emily bit her bottom lip, looking down.

 _"Well, I already did sing in front of him just now... Maybe I will. It might be fun. And I really need to stop being so self-conscious anyways",_ she thought to herself.

Taking a deep breath in preparation, she started slow, and quiet until she was belting out the lyrics, and getting a bit emotional as she did so.

 _Do you remember me, I sat upon your knee_

 _I wrote to you with childhood fantasy_

 _Well I'm all grownup now, but still need help somehow_

 _I'm not a child, but my heart still can dream_

 _So her's my lifelong wish, my grownup Christmas list_

 _Not for myself, but for a world in need_

 _As children, we believe the grandest sight to see_

 _Was something lovely wrapped beneath the tree_

 _Well Heaven only knows, that packages and bows_

 _Can never heal a heartached human soul_

Emily chocked on the last sung word, burying her head in her drawn knees.

However, the slow boom of clapping leather cut through the silence. She snapped her head up at the sarcastic clap. The Joker leaned casually on the doorframe. Standing like he'd been there for awhile. He smiled at her, then pushed off the doorframe, and walked over to Mikey, whispering something unintelligible in his ear. Mikey nodded, and walked out the door in a rush.

And she was left alone. Well, almost alone...

He very slowly started walking over to her, tilting his green-haired head with a mock-sympathetic look on his face, "Oh, you look scared. Don't _panic;_ I'm not here to take you for a walk outside, or something terrible like that". His nasally voice, coupled with the blatant sarcasm, grated on her nerves.

She backed off the bed onto the other side so the bed was between them. It didn't offer much, it was more the equivalent of standing across from a jaguar with a coffee table between you and danger; he could leap across this to tear your throat out at any moment.

Her muscles tensed for action, she narrowed her eyes defiantly, then she asked him, "What do you want from me?"

But he wasn't really looking at her anymore, more like staring at her clothes with a mildly annoyed look. Flicking his black eyes back up to her's, he asked, "Where did you get those clothes?"

She saw the hidden danger deep in his eyes, and countenance. So not wanting to get Kate in trouble, she lied as convincingly as she could, "I don't know who brought them. I just found them on the bed this morning before Mike came".

" _He thought he could get me to keep that stupid night dress on all day?! Who does he think he is?",_ she fumed silently

He didn't look like he believed her that she didn't know where they came from. But he must not have cared very much because he smiled a wide, yellow toothed smile that stretched the scars on his cheeks.

He walked over to the other side of the bed where she was, while she very obviously fought to hold her ground as he walked ever closer. When he was a few inches away, since he didn't give a rat for personal space, he laid a hand on her shoulder.

She couldn't look him in the eye, so she tried turning her head away to escape his intense stare. He apparently didn't like that because he put the palm of his right hand under her chin, his left one still on her arm and gripping painfully. The fingers on her chin tightened a bit, yanking her head around to face him.

She cringed back from him as much as his hands would allow, terrified of him, especially with his makeup on; he looked the part of her worst nightmares.

She jumped a bit when he finally started to speak, "Now what I'd like to do right now is tell you how you're going to behave tomorrow while we go and, uh, visit a few friends of mine".

" _Friends?!"_ She thought incredulously to herself. " _This man have friends? I'll believe_ that _when I see it"._

A feeling of resentment at how he said he would tell her how to 'behave', peeked through her fear so she tried roughly twisting out of his grip. But he proved to be quite a bit stronger than she gave him credit for, as he merely twirled her so that her back was against his hard chest.

She heard him snicker a bit, which only added fuel to her fire, making her writhe harder against him.

Feeling hot breath at her ear, she stopped for a moment, panting lightly. "What brought on _this_ behavior, hm? Here I thought we'd been getting along so well. Like we were made for each other".

Feeling a little sick, she tried wriggling away again, but he just squeezed her tighter, very nearly cutting off her air supply. He stated in a reprimanding tone to her, "If you keep this up I'm going to re-tract my offer I was going to make that allows you to explore the warehouse if you behave for the duration of this tri _p_ ". He smacked his lips in her ear, but she wasn't focused on that. She only cared that she might get out of this room!

Intentionally relaxing her muscles, she stood very still as he brought a gloved hand to run his fingers through her hair, something he seemed to do a lot, and hummed in approval at her compliance.

After he'd spent too long messing with her hair, he turned her back around to stare down at her from his very tall height; she felt ten years old again when she stood next to him.

"We are-uh going to be seeing some very important people tomorrow, and to put it gently I don't want you acting like a brat while we're there". She bristled at that. "First off," he sat her on the bed by pushing down on her shoulders till she fell onto it. He gestured his hands out at his sides, saying in a reasonable tone of voice, "If you don't disobey me _a **t**_ all for the whole trip, then I will in return give you free reign of this part of the warehouse".

"... Really?" She asked at length.

He smiled devilishly, turning his head to the side, looking at her from the corner of his eye. "You don't believe me?" He put a hand against his chest. "I'm hurt; I have hardly touched you, and you're _still_ scared, and you think that I'm going to hurt you."

She readied herself for what she was about to say, knowing it might make him very angry. "You have hurt me. In more ways than one, and if you think that I'll obey you just because you tell me I should, then you've got another thing coming; I'm not going to give in. I don't see why you even want to keep me here anyways; I'm just some random girl... who chose a stupid city to visit". She hung her head, rubbing her eyes.

When he didn't do, or say anything for a few moments, she looked up at him.

He looked... Amused to say the least, with a wide, dark smile on his face. He reached down to pull her back up close in front of him, grasping both of her biceps, as he said condescendingly, "I happen to like that you won't ever 'give in'. Makes our life together more interesting, don't you think?" Clearly belittling her righteous anger towards him. "And now how do you know I picked you at random, hm? An attachment this great to someone else can't be random".

" _This is coming out of nowhere, I don't understand,"_ she thought to herself, disbelieving, but also curious.

She stiffened when he wrapped his arms around her for the second time since she came here, and hugged her close. He may be thin, but she felt that his entire frame could swallow her's up. And that wasn't pleasant.

As he petted the back of her head, he spoke, "Do you have any idea how much _work_ it takes to get things in life to be completely random? No no no no. This, my dear". He held her tighter, resting his chin on her head. "Is. No **t.** Random. Whatsoever".

Deciding she's had enough of his ridiculous words that make no sense, and the touchy feeling stuff he was doing to her, she tried to get away from him again.

She scowled, gritting her teeth, and putting her arms between them, trying to shove him away, growling out, "What are you _talking_ about?!" Pushing hard, she added desperately, "Get off me!"

He laughed a hyena laugh, bending his neck to nuzzle the top of her head, saying, "You don't really mean that; you're just playing hard to get". He sounded like he actually believed what he was saying. Which was extremely disturbing to her.

Thankfully, he slid his arms off her soon after, but chose instead to sling an arm around her shoulders. He guided her to the desk chair, shoving her into it. The word 'gentle' did not describe any single aspects of his personality... At all.

He had a calculating look in his face as he eyed her up and down, before saying, "As I was saying before you questioned me earlier ". He raised his eyebrows, daring her to interrupt again, before continuing, "These people we're going to visit, already know that you'll be my partner-in-crime someday.. with some work on your part".

" _He can't tell me what I'm going to be",_ she thought, stubbornly to herself, trying to get her to believe it. " _I won't let him dictate my life"._

The Joker was still speaking, so she payed a bit more attention to what he was saying.

"So to put it politely; I don't want you to embarrass me in front of these people because you don't know how to act like a grownup yet". He said all this in an agreeable tone of voice that was still patronizing to her own ears.

But she was far from being willing to agree to that. "And if I tell you to piss off, and I won't do it?" She seethed.

She learned quickly that his anger could surpass her's by miles. He growled at her, and asked in a demonic voice that was laced with barely restrained fury, "Do you want to **never** be able to see your parents again?" He waited for his words to sink in, before he continued in the same voice, "Because I was contemplating going over for a quick visit to meet them with you to, uh, you know..." He smirked like the Devil. "Meet the in-laws. But now that you're being so. Very. Naughty; I feel like going by myself to maybe say hi.. Shake their hands.. Go to the zoo together.. Cut out their tongues... There's really only a few directions this could go... And they all depend on _you"._.

He poked her nose hard. "And not to mention, _buuuuut_ ; do you want to continue your disobedient streak, and stay in this room for months, and never be let out, or do you want to be good, and get let out once in a while. If, and only if you ask my permission before you do? So". He squatted in front of her, enclosing both her hands in his big, gloved ones as he smiled slyly, asking her, "Whi _ch_ would you _preferrr?"_

Her eyes were wide, as she pleaded with him. "No, please! Y-you realize that I'll never forgive you if you hurt them. I will do anything, just please never touch them. They haven't done anything. They've probably even stopped looking for me by now..." She wasn't sure if she'd said that last part aloud, a tear falling down her face as she thought of them.

The Joker released a hand to bring one of his up wiping the tear away as he said, "There's nothing to be upset about; I'll watch over you while we're gone". He winked his kohl-rimmed eye at her.

She rolled her eyes in response, grinding out, "I won't cause any trouble tomorrow".

He grinned, continuing his earlier mantra, "So you will stay by my side the entire-uh time, you will not speak to anyone except for me, you will do anything I tell you to. And of course; fawn over me the entire time. So basically you can just focus on fanning my ego".

She blanched, and fought the urge to shiver in fear. Then she realized he hasn't said who these people were that they were 'visiting'. She figured there's no harm asking him. So she asked hesitantly, "Who are these friends..?"

His eyes seemed to light with a fierce, and hungry fire as he responded, "Just a few fellow crime-doerrs". He looked up as if looking for the names on the ceiling. "Edward Nigma, Selina Kyle, and possibly Jonathan Crane to name a few". He got up, and started walking towards the bathroom before he was stopped by a:

"Wait!" Emily called to him.

The Joker looked over his shoulder at her with a raised, painted eyebrow.

She worriedly asked, "What are you doing meeting with all those other killers?"

He just smiled, and said mysteriously, "Let's just say; you're going to get some behind the scenes action to a very big production".

With that being said, he turned on his heel, slamming the bathroom door shut, leaving her to her thoughts of what could happen when all these extremely dangerous people get together, and taking her along with? Nothing good. Of that, at least, she was positive...


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: read chapter 2**

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She could not see _why_ she had to be in this boring hotel room. She felt like her days had turned into a never ending feeling of utter boredom. I mean; why couldn't he have just left her at the warehouse? At least then she would get a longer break from him than the short intervals that he leaves her in his room by herself.

They drove last night across town to a decent looking hotel on (from what she could tell) the opposite side of Gotham from the warehouse. It was a single room, single queen bed, with a tiny kitchenette attached type of hotel room. It felt suffocating when he was in here with her. Luckily he was in the bathroom at the moment as she dressed for the day; it was early morning, and they had gotten here at around midnight, only leaving the warehouse after he had gotten a bag of spare clothes for her that _he'd_ picked out, and also after he had stowed quite a few guns, knives, and bombs! In the car, 'just in case' as he said. Then the two of them left in the van, and arrived here... Where she's pretty sure he paid off the hotel workers. That, or a super villain owned this place because they just walked right in here as soon as they got here. He, in all his clown makeup.

So here she sat; staring out the huge window leading to a small balcony. He told her to quote ' _never go out there by yourself becaaaause you never know what weirdos might swoop in to scare young girls-uh'._ She knew he was referring to Batman when he said 'swoop in', and she also knew that he really didn't want her going out there because he thought she might consider ending it all since they were on the third floor of the building. If we're being truthful; she had never even considered it. She still held too much hope of escape to simply end her life because she was having a bad day. She figured she'd find a way out of here before it ever came to that anyways.

Hearing the bathroom door open, she resisted the urge to look over her shoulder and see what he was doing; she didn't want to give him an excuse to harass her. Not that he needed one.

" _Speak of the Devil",_ she thought as she felt him sink into the bed next to her, sliding an arm around her shoulders.

He was in a relatively good mood today. The Joker was pretty pleased with the plan he had been concocting over the week. Emily had been a nice distraction from the Batman's absence, and she is a great break from his usually fast-paced life, and she had also inspired his new plan, making her invaluable to him; they will be together for a long time. This new plan is where his fellow villains come into play. Most of these criminals had not made themselves known to the public yet..that was about to be rectified. And he couldn't wait to see what tonight had in store for he and Emily.

He wanted to bring her on this trip to witness this very key part to his plan; Pretty soon she will be partaking in the carnage along with him; instead of letting her sit on the sidelines, he will teach her to kill, demoralize, and maybe worship him in time. He wanted to have her to 'rule' Gotham along with him, _not_ to install their own government system, but to terrorize, destroy, and above all; show these useless scumbags who call themselves Gotham citizens that there _is no right and wrong._ We are all the same on the inside, it just takes one. Bad. Day. To screw up a person. And he fully intended to do this with Emily at his side.

He felt her try and shift a bit away from him before she asked one of the many same questions she had been asking that day.

She asked in a breathy voice, "Why do we have to go to this place? Can't you guys just have a group phone call together?"

The Joker turned her to face him on the bed, he smiled looking into her beautiful light brown eyes, then he rubbed his bare knuckles down her cheek, it was then that she noticed he didn't button up his hexagonal shirt yet. Her cheeks reddened a bit, as he said overly sweetly, "Aww.. Are you scared of them?" Despite how obviously she didn't like his mocking tone, she nodded her head a fraction of an inch up and down.

He scowled in response. His fingers on her shoulders started tightening enough to bruise as he asked, "Now why is that, hm? I _tolllld_ you I will take care of you while we're here. Don't you, uh, trust me?"

Judging by the look on his face as he asked this; saying how she really felt about how little trust she placed in him might be suicide.

So not wanting to argue first thing in the morning, she looked down and responded halfheartey, "Yes... I do trust you". That felt like one of the most forced lies she's ever uttered.

He seemed to like what she said though, as he smiled cheekily, and said in a happy, raspy sounding voice, "I've got a great idea; why don't you and I have some fun together to pass the time until tonight, huh?"

"All day _of his undivided attention?!",_ she thought to herself in disbelief. " _It could be worse I suppose... But I really wish I didn't have to go-, Wait! If we went somewhere with lots of people, then maybe he'd be recognized!"_

Feeling happier at her revelation, she nodded to his earlier suggestion enthusiastically. Though, he did not know where the sudden enthusiasm came from as he smirked, and hopped off the bed.

She watched him walk towards the mini fridge, then stop and turn to say something he forgot to earlier, "By the way, remember to pack everything back up before we leave because we're not staying here again tonight".

Confused, she furrowed her brows, asking, "Where are we staying then?"

He smiled at her as he buttoned up his shirt responding in his deeper voice, "At The Riddler's place, my _dearrr_ ".

...

All in all this day could have been better, and it could have been worse. Could have been better if the Joker had been apprehended, but she had to admit that that's starting to look less and less likely. And it could've been worse if he decided he wanted some different forms of 'companionship' from her, as well as if he decided to kill her. That would have been bad as well. As it was, though; this day went by surprisingly okay. Even in the Joker's company there were no horrible things happening. Yet, anyways. Maybe he's saving it for tonight? She didn't know, but what she did know was that the possibilities of what could happen tonight while she's in the same room as horrible, bloodthirsty criminals made her nerves stretch thin till it felt they were about to snap. It was all she could think about all day.

What they did most of the day until sunset was drive around a lot, which, she figured was him scoping out the area. While he was driving he would ask her random, personal questions such as; 'who do you like more; mom, or step-dad' 'what's your favorite gemstone' 'what is your favorite pastime'? Some of the questions he asked were concerning to her, but when he wasn't driving and questioning, he was on the phone. At one point while on the phone he reached into the backseat floor to hand her a wrapped, cold hamburger. After she had eaten, she brushed her teeth with the hotel toothbrush, and bottled water, so very happy to have the everyday dental hygiene appliance.

The day went by so fast that before she knew it, they were driving up to this large, (but not nearly as large as the warehouse) stone, three story building with metal front doors, and big doors on the side obviously meant for semi-trucks to unload into. It looked to have been here for a while; weathered roof, very old stone in the sides from the 1800's, hardly any houses nearby, it was close to the edge of town. She noticed faded lettering on the top of the building that she couldn't make out, and lastly there was what looked to be a two story.. Apartment? Attached to the left side of the building. How odd. But then, she's in the company of The Joker; things were bound to get odd sooner or later.

Speaking of odd; she found it strange that he seemed to be creeping the van through the parking lot to park it on the side, in the shadows. The Joker did not appear to be worried in the slightest though; he was drumming his fingers on the steering wheel, and humming a tune to himself. She discreetly shook her head; she really didn't understand him at all.

She nearly let out a shriek in surprise when a person in a clown mask tapped on the drivers side window. The Joker looked at her like she had lost it, before he turned to the goon with the window down, saying exasperatedly, "You _took_ long enough. What were you doing the whole time? Taking an extra large **crap?!** " The Joker very nearly growled, and if it hadn't been for that, Emily might have laughed at the absurdity of how that sounded coming from him.

The goon quivered, trying to cover up, and get on his boss' good side, stuttering out, "S-sorry boss! We got a flat tire on the way, a-and Ed nearly crashed us, an-nd-"

The Joker waved a hand, with an annoyed air, then he asked, "Well are you ready _now?"_

Frankie nodded mutely. The Joker grinned a dark, mischievous grin, saying back, "Then let's, uh, not keep the kids waiting, shall we? And if _anyone_ tries to leave here, and I don't care who they are; shoot them. Got it?"

Frankie nodded again, scurrying off into the shadows with a dozen more thugs that she could see with him.

The Joker turned around in his seat, looking at Emily with a raised brow. "What's the matter?" He asked, tilting his head. "No 20 questions for me?"

She frowned back, annoyed at him. "Of course I have questions.." She turned her back to him, crossing her arms, and looking out the van window. "But you never answer them. Not in a way that makes sense anyway". Anyone could hear the pent-up frustration, and bafflement in her tone. Baffled because she _still_ doesn't understand; why her?

The Joker sighed, and she heard him make that wet, rasping sound he makes when he licks his scars. She shivered when he started speaking again in a clearly fake-cheerful voice, "Now, _honeyyy._ This is really not the time to discuss this. Maybe later, huh?"

"Later' _as in 'never'",_ she fumed to herself.

She didn't see him get out until he was opening her door, yanking her out painfully by her forearm. Once she was out, she tried to get her arm back, but his grip was bruising her, so she stopped struggling with a huff, and allowed him to lead her forward, forward into the darkness that this place was cloaked in...

Well, Emily had found out exactly what this place was that the Riddler was staying in; it was a meat packing plant. As in, where they butcher, and pack the animals. She had walked past one of the rooms that was used for butchering back in the day. She shuddered thinking about those hooks, razor sharp blades for cutting, and hanging animal parts. She could picture any one of these killers in this room using those instruments to torture other human beings. The vision was not a pleasant one.

After the Joker, and her had entered the building, and after the Joker's thugs had killed all of the watchmen outside via sniper guns, the Joker walked with her into this room, catching the people in it unawares; all the other mega-villains. Some appeared to have been expecting this, others.. Not so much.

She now sat next to the Joker (he had pulled her chair as close to his right side as possible) in what must have used to be this places' conference room. Dimly lit, with the lights constantly flickering, she was looking around her at the faces bearing many different expressions, from wary, to viciously angry, to intrigued, and even bored! Emily studied the faces of these people she has heard very little about, and barely could remember enough names to put to their faces.

Oswald Cobblpot, aka; The Penguin was pretty obvious, as was Selina Kyle aka; Catwoman, she did not scare Emily as much: she wasn't known for her killings. A gorgeous woman with red hair, red lips, and a tight green evening outfit on whose name Emily did not know. But the older woman's voice, and attitude gave Emily a bad feeling about her. Jonathan Crane, aka; Scarecrow the man who terrorized Gotham before the Joker. Everyone thought he was still in Arkham. There was also a... Creature with scaly skin, a muzzle that stuck out a bit with razor sharp teeth inside it, and glowing red eyes. HE scared her to death.

Then, there was THE Riddler. The Prince of Puzzles, who is crazy about riddles (obviously), and forcing people to attempt his maze, and if they failed, he killed them thinking it was 'fair'. Now she knew where he held his maze at. Complete with his bowler hat, and question mark cane. He was rather handsome, Emily thought. In a scrawny sort of way. He seemed the least annoyed of everyone there. And standing directly behind him were two women, both very pretty. One was black, very tall, with short, dark hair, with almond shaped eyes. And the other lady was tall as well, with long, light blonde hair, and blue eyes. Emily wondered if they were his bodyguards?

Sitting next to the Riddler, so that she could barely see him, there was a man with positively bulging thigh, bicep, and ab muscles, that were straining against his actually pretty cool dark grey/metal armor. He had a mask on, and when he turned his head, she saw it only had one eye slit, and half of the mask was rusty orange and the other half dark grey, with slits over his mouth so he could speak and breathe. She had a flashback of Darth Vader for a second while looking at his creepy mask. Apart from the serpentine one creature at the table, this man was the most physically imposing of everyone there. She made a mental note to never be stuck in a room by herself with him. Or any of them for that matter.

Seeing all these stunning women around her, though made Emily suddenly feel extremely self conscious. She looked at her too-skinny body, touched the tips of her unruly curls, and looked at her filthy jeans and T-shirt, wishing she had a body like Catwoman, and hair like the redhead's. She looked down, embarrassed at herself for having such thoughts; her mom would have said she's beautiful the way she is. Besides, there's _one_ person here who thinks she's pretty.. Though she wished he didn't. Who cares what these murderers thought of her anyways?

Speaking of him, it seemed that he was currently in the middle of trying to coerce these people to (from what she could understand) join him in completely taking over Gotham City starting with killing off Commissioner Gordon now that Batman is out of the equation. Some of these rogues didn't like the idea of siding with Joker to put it mildly.

"Why would we want to rule this city together, when I could just take it on my own". The redhead said snottily.

The Joker gave a high pitched giggle at that before responding. "Oh _reallyyy, little miss Pamela_? You think you've got the resources to back up that claim?" The Joker raised an eyebrow at her.

The read head, Pamela, said angrily, "I don't have to sit here and take this!"

She got up to leave, but was stopped when Joker pulled out his handgun. Leaving his forearm on the table, but keeping the gun pointed at her head, he said in a mock hurt voice, "Is miss Isley upset? I thought we were all friends here, and we've always got the other's backs?" He tilted his head, sticking out his bottom lip.

Emily watched as 'Pamela' sat back down angrily, and said one more thing in her seductive voice, "Well, if we have to stay here and listen to you speak, you could at least give us something in return..?" She smirked, and Emily wondered what on earth that could mean? And was this woman bipolar? Angry one minute, and flirting the other. Well, these peoples are reported to be crazy.

And speaking of crazy, she found it strange that The Joker would even come here if some of them were holding animosity towards him. But it looked like only a few had distaste for the Joker written on their faces; Pamela most of the time, and Catwoman didn't look too happy either. She caught Selina looking at her curiously a couple of times. Emily wished she could disappear into the woodwork.

The Joker responded to Pamela's earlier suggestion with an amused, "Maybe... If you cooperate with the scheme, and get me what I need, we can all be living it up as, say, the most powerful people in Gotham". His voice was extremely persuasive, Emily observed. And she also came to the conclusion in regards to him; having plenty of charisma, and acting charming when he wanted to be, meant nothing if he couldn't back it up. Which he did, she could practically see the picture of the world he painted. Not. That she wanted any part of it, in fact; she would rather be in a different town right now, six hours away to be exact.

Pulling her out of her thoughts was Jonathan when he started to speak, his icy blue eyes looking at her, "What are you doing bringing a little thing like that here, Joker?" He gestured to her with a quirked mouth. "Does she even speak?"

By now _everyone_ was looking at her, with differing expressions on their faces. She felt all the blood rush to her face, and she looked at her lap; embarrassed at having so many grown men staring at her.

She heard the Joker shift in his seat, then the purple gloved hand not holding his gun, was laid on her thigh just above her knee. And as he started to speak, the hand tightened with bruising force, making it very clear to Emily that he was channeling his restrained anger into his hand that was on her. She glanced at his painted face, as he leaned forward hunching his shoulders the same way a hyena would raise the hairs on it's back when agitated.

"Her _name",_ he growled low, and throatily. "Is Emily. And it is _very_ important to your health that you remember tha **t.** Is that clearr?" He narrowed his black painted eyes at Jonathan Crane across the table. The Scarecrow did not appear fazed though, if anything, he looked bored; probably used to the Joker's infamous temper if they've known each other for years.

Meanwhile pretty much everyone else (from the ones whose expressions were readable) looked amused at the exchange.

Emily was staring ahead so intently, and blocking everything out so well that she jumped an inch in her seat when the Riddler leaned a bit towards her on her right to lift a lock of her hair like Joker always does. Her back stayed ramrod straight, as she stiffly registered him playing with it, before he said in an English accented voice, "What an interesting choice for an accomplice for you, Joker." Letting go of her hair, (she felt the Joker relax his tense stance somewhat when Edward stopped touching her) he leaned back in his seat as the Joker stared at him challengingly. She felt like she was in between two hurricanes with no chance of escape.

The Joker asked stiffly, with his hands clenched, "What is _that_ supposed to mean exact-ly, hm?"

Oswald took off his spectacle, and while looking down, and rubbing it in his handkerchief, he asked Joker, "So then, you have finally aquired a permanent companion then?"

" _Permanent?",_ she thought to herself with a furrowed brow. " _What does he mean?"_

Before he could dwell on it anymore, Pamela spoke up again with an even more worrying assumption. "He's probably just using her as a bed toy but won't own up to it". That, got pretty much everyone chuckling at Emily.

She tucked her chin, hiding behind her hair like curtains as she felt tears welling in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall; she had to not look weak in the presence of these twisted psychos. She felt so alone. She was embarrassed, tired, hungry, and wishing she could go home already.

She was actually surprised that the Joker didn't just kill them all right then; they didn't have any weapons in here she could see. But then she realized; he needs them. He needs them for his plan to work. He either needs their individual skills, abilities, or their resources. That made her feel a tiny bit smarter at having figured him out to an extent.

Speaking of; the Joker seemed a lot more collected than she thought he would be in the face of their jabs. He merely said to Pamela, "Would you still laugh if I, maybe..." He pretended to think for a minute before smiling devilishly, and continuing in an excited tone of voice, "I know! How about if I blew u _p_ that botanical gardens, or whatever that place is that you helped start up, and that houses all your". He used air quotes, finishing with a sarcastic, "'babies'".

Pamela's green eyes blazed as she snarled, "Don't you dare touch my children!"

"Fine." The Joker replied. "As long as youuuu... SHUT UP!" He growled. Pamela frowned, but didn't say anything else.

Then Selina Kyle spoke for the first time in a bored tone, "How about everybody shuts up before we're here all night. I've got places to be, too."

"Good point, kitty". The Joker said back mockingly. "So to get to the point; who here would like to play a part in the biggest, most grand events this city has seen in years. They won't even know what hit them. Who's with me?"

On the Joker's left, Emily watched as Catwoman looked up from examining her nails, to share a look with Scarecrow, he smirked, then looked at The Penguin, and he fiddled with his white gloves before turning to Ivy, she glared at him, and the Joker, then she looked at the scaly man/creature, he licked his fangs, before turning his head like a snake, and staring at the armored, and masked guy, the masked guy looked at the Riddler who was rubbing his cane with a thoughtful expression, and then he glanced at the two women behind him, before everyone looked at The Joker.

They all said one by one; "I'll lend a hand". "This could be fun". "We could throw rocks at the people and then eat them". "I want in on the action". "Only if I can use some of them for my experiments". "This is the time; Batman is gone, Dent is dead, the city will be ours". Everyone but Ivy agreed; she got up again saying some words Emily would never repeat, then the Joker let her leave.

The Joker looked at every face around him with a huge, yellow toothed smile, and said, "Grea **t**. Now here's what we need to do..."

... Reluctantly, as the Joker was completely distracted with discussing the 'takeover of Gotham City' with The Riddler, Emily found herself with half open eyes, and unable to stay awake as she really wasn't a night owl, she slowly leaned her head on The Joker's shoulder, falling asleep before she could see his reaction, now used to his scent of greasepaint, and crisp smelling cologne...

... She blearily blinked her eyes open to a completely unfamiliar room. Though by now she was used to the feeling of having no idea where she was. Emily sat up to observe her new surroundings, trying to figure out how she got here.

The room was very small, with a door leading to a closet with nothing in it, the small bed she was laying on, and a tiny dresser. The rest of the room was pretty nondescript. She walked to the door presumably leading out into the rest of whatever building this was.

Reaching the door, she stopped to listen for any movement from outside, worried about accidentally bumping into a not-so-friendly person. She couldn't hear anything, so she opened the door into a carpeted hallway. She looked to the left, and saw a dead end, she looked right and saw that the hall lead down a few steps, and out into an apartment-sized living room.

She stepped out the bedroom, and turned right to walk into the living room. About to take the first step, she froze when she heard voices coming from her right, and the smell of food was wafting from that way. Emily came to the conclusion that there was no way to escape when there were other people in this apartment with her.

So following her nose, she stepped down the stairs, and stopped at the bottom staring in frozen apprehension at the people sitting surprisingly casual at the kitchen table.

The two women that had been standing behind the Riddler last night were sitting down across from Selina Kyle, while they ate eggs, toast, and juice in front of a big bay window with trees pressing up into it. The scene was so cookie cutter, it was almost laughable to see these criminals in it. Through the branches it was easy to see that it was more towards noon than early morning, she noted. This surprised Emily; she never slept in.

Noticing her standing there, the black woman from yesterday waved a hand for her to come over saying, "Hey, girl. Come on over; join us! We aren't the ones who will bite you". She winked. Emily immediately felt better about it, and walked the few feet over to the table, sitting between the blonde, and Selina.

The blonde saw her eyeing the food, and quickly got a plate ready for her.

Selina watched her with amused eyes, saying slyly, "It's been fun, kids. But I've gotta go feed my cat". She smirked, and got up to leave. Emily didn't hear the front door open or close behind her. Strange.

Suddenly a full plate was put in front of her. She looked up into the women's eyes as she grabbed a fork. Picking at the food, she recognized that she was being rude, so she muttered a shaky, "Thank y-" she realized she didn't even know their names.

They seemed to understand her hesitation as the black woman smiled, and reached across the table shaking her hand as she said, "The name's Echo".

The blonde stuck her hand out as well, saying cheerily, "Query, and it was no trouble; Joker told us to take care of you, which we will 'cause we're happy to look after The Joker's girlfriend".

Emily's smile fell a little as she thought of him; 'girlfriend'? that concerned her. She asked tentatively back, hoping they'd just attribute her nerves as genuine curiosity, as opposed to fear. "W-when did he say he would be back?" She swallowed some food waiting for their reply.

Echo shrugged as she cut some of her bacon while responding, "We have no clue; he and mr. Riddler have been gone since early morning. He told us to let you sleep after he came out of your room this morning".

Query looked up from eating her eggs, and turned her attention to Emily, asking her with innocent curiosity, "So speaking of sleeping with someone". She nudged Emily's arm. Emily at first had no clue what she was getting at. "How is it with Joker? Is he good? I bet he is! Oh, I'll bet he's got lots of stamina; no wonder you needed to sleep in".

It took far longer than it should have, before Emily caught onto what they meant, and when she did, the food in her mouth turned to sawdust, and her stomach turned to acid. Unsurprisingly, she wasn't so hungry anymore, she was still staring wide eyed at Query as she asked these questions, growing more horrified by her assumptions. With her face pale as a sheet, she choked out, "What did he tell you...exactly?"

Query seemed like she had forgotten what they were talking about as she responded, "Huh? Oh, Joker? He just said how you came with him willingly, how you two are great together, and how with time you'll grow into an incredible accomplice someday...or an example, I forget which, but that's basically it". Query nodded, seeming proud of remembering all that.

Emily, however, was furious at the Joker; how dare he say such things about her? Great together? As if!

Her eyes narrowing, she growled out, "That's what he said?! He kidnapped me!"

Echo interjected before Query could respond to Emily's outburst. She said calmly to Emily, "We know that, girl. We never said we couldn't see through his lies".

She had a placating tone and look on her face, and Emily could see that they meant well, but she was still mad so she asked them both, "Then why did you ask those questions?"

Echo responded for Query again saying, "Well Query is pretty slow, so don't expect her to always say, or ask 'normal' things". Then she stared to laugh loudly.

Query threw her napkin at her friend saying indignantly back, "I am not slow! I just don't catch on as fast". That just made Echo laugh more.

Though she was still in the process of cooling off, their sisterly banter was charming, and sweet to Emily.

After she had calmed her laughter, Echo looked at Emily, and said, "We thought it was okay to ask those questions because we're surprised he has waited this long; he hasn't done anything to you?" She seemed genuinely curious. As if she couldn't understand what she was asking on any moral level.

Emily shook her head vigorously back and forth saying, "No, never. He only broke my finger the first day for mouthing off, and he... Sleeps next to me at night but that's it".

Echo and Queey shared a glance, as Echo said, "Hun, don't expect him to wait forever. He is a man without rules.. So.. He might decide one day that he doesn't want to wait anymore, and he'll take it from you wether you want it or not".

Emily looked down at her lap. "Why, though? He has no reason to feel _that_ way". She shuddered. "Not about me".

Query touched Emily's shoulder saying passionately, "I saw his face when he carried you to the bedroom. I saw how he handled you. And... I cannot believe I'm saying this about _Joker_ but I believe.. If it's even possible for him, that he's fast falling for you. He must see something in you that you can't see in yourself".

Emily swallowed the whimper rising in her throat as she responded resolutely, "That is not possible". She whispered the rest, "You can't expect your captive to fall in love with you".

Query frowned, and opened her mouth about to speak the perks of loving the Joker back. But Emily interrupted strongly, straightening her back as she said, "Look, this is a sensitive, if not a tad personal discussion; I'd appreciate it if we just dropped it".

Query's face reddened. "Well, I understand that".

Emily nodded her head back.

Echo said one last thing as she finished her food. "How about if we go in the gym, and hang out to talk about combat skills before we discuss boys". She smiled, and Query and Emily smiled back at the fun sounding idea. Emily couldn't remember the last time she legitimately had a 'fun' time...

... Echo and Query were doing some kickboxing while Emily watched them quite reluctantly entranced by what they were able to do; their bodies seemed to know exactly how to move to counteract the others' move against them, and they were moving lightning fast. But even though they were both great, Emily found Echo to be a little better than Query; always one step ahead, always ready for the next move from her adversary. Kind of like The Joker. As Emily thought of him, her heart sunk- he could be back soon. Then, it hit her; she looked to the open gym door.

Echo had taken her and Query out of the apartment attached to the meat factory, and into the building down a few halls, and through a few rooms into this makeshift exercising place. She remembered the way out. Quickly looking over to see that they were still engrossed in their fight, Emily turned, and without a second glance, or thought she ran out the door.

She ran till her lungs burned, and her feet ached. She ran down every hall she could, she ran through doors, past machinery, until it became painfully certain to her; she was lost.

Slowly walking into a big room with all types of machines, she noted how some looked relatively harmless while others... They looked like medieval torture devices.

She tentatively started backing away from this creepy room, and just when she thought she'd get out of there, she bumped into something... Or someone's.. armored body behind her. Twirling around to look up and into the face of the one eyed masked man. She trembled feeling his eye look her up and down.

All of a sudden he started to speak, even though he hadn't spoken since she'd gotten here; his voice was silky smooth, and laced with charm, "Hello. Emily isn't it?" His head tilted slightly.

She gulped, a bad feeling in her stomach as she nodded in response.

He slowly started to circle her, making her far more nervous than when the Joker does this. At least with him, she knew he wanted her, and wouldn't kill her right away. But with this man she did not know his motives, and that made him terrifying to her.

As he stood before her again he rumbled a slight chuckle, saying, "I know your name, but you don't know mine, do you?" Not waiting for a response, he put a hand to his large chest, saying, "I'm Deathstroke. But you could call me Slade, I suppose. Both have a great ring to them, don't you think?"

She decided she needed to get out of here as she originally was going to.. And fast! So she squeaked out a, "Yes, now it was n-nice talking with you, but I-I need to go before the joker gets back". She tried to move past him, but he caught her arm, and brought her back to his chest.

He whispered creepily to her, "Why don't you stay? I'm sure The Joker won't mind sharing; he never cares about his women".

In saying, he slowly moved his hands under her shirt, and upwards. She started to cry silently, wishing it would all end, and she could be home right now.

Just as as she thought that it couldn't get any worse, and he did something to make her scream out with all her strength, Slade chuckled in response, as he was about to make her lay on the floor.

Out of nowhere, the man holding her up was pulled away from her very suddenly making her lose her balance, and fall in her bra, and pants onto her hands and knees. She looked over her shoulder, squinting in the dark to see what was happening. She could hear scuffling, muffled grunts, a couple of growls, a metallic scraping sound, and a voice she'd recognize anywhere that growled gutterally; "She's mine. No one else's. No one's. She. Is mine." before her eyes adjusted, and she saw a sight that made her shriek again, only this time it was purely out of fear.

Slade lay on the floor with his throat, and chest carved deeply into creating a large, and rapidly growing pool of blood around him. She looked up into the black eyes of nightmares, staring out of a painted face, as he crouched over the corpse with a bloody knife in hand. She felt she truly understood one thing right then; it's one thing to hear about his horrid crimes on the radio, or to see pictures on TV.. But it was completely different, and far more terrible to see it happen right before your very eyes.

Still sitting on the floor, she closed her eyes, turning her head away as she murmured, "He-he was going to-" she choked on the sob that she let out.

She heard quiet footsteps, then felt a presence right beside her. She opened her eyes to see The Joker reach to hold her cheek, with a dark, evil look still in his eyes.

Feeling suddenly very small and scared in that moment, she backed away from him yelling, "No! Don't touch me!" She wrapped her arms around herself, both for modesty and warmth as she suddenly outed out her innermost fears, hastily, "You may say you're 'better' than the usual thugs, and rapists in Gotham City, but that doesn't make what you do right! You say you won't do what he tried to do to me, but for how long, huh? How long will you wait? I will never give it to you, so of you'd like; take it. But the only way is to kill me first". She whispered the very last part, burying her face into her knees, crying from all this emotional torment.

She looked through blurry eyes, to see the Joker wipe the bloody knife off on his pants, before putting it in his pocket, and coming to crouch next to her once again. He reached to cup her face again, and she cringed, looking down.

"Hey", he said, almost roughly. "Look at me".

She shook her head, not caring what he did about her blatant defiance.

Still cupping her face, he used his other hand to hold under her chin, tilting up her face so he could stare in her eyes. She seemed to shrink back, but that didn't matter right now, all that mattered was that he had stopped that psycho from finishing his work.

He made her look him in the eye as he said, "Come on, sweetheart". He pulled her up with him from their crouched positions.

She looked up at him as he slid an arm around her waist, hugging her close, as he said, "We are going on a date".

She could feel herself tremble at thoughts of what could happen tonight on this 'date'. Then she looked back at the dead body, and the growing pool of blood, thinking that it was a lucky thing the Joker was there when she actually needed him. Though, if he would take her home finally she wouldn't be in these situations in the first place. But she felt she should completely, once and for all, abandon the notion of going home. The Joke considered her his, and he didn't seem the type to simply let things go that, in his mind, belonged to him...


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: read chapter 2**

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"What kind of 'date' is this supposed to be exactly?" Emily asked halfheartey, not at all expecting to get a straight answer out of him as they drove in the van to the heart of Gotham.

After the Joker had killed Slade, he then took her back to the apartment to get a shirt. It was pretty humiliating to walk through the building, outside, all the way to the bedroom when she was practically half naked. Once she had shrugged into the long sleeved shirt, the Joker grabbed her wrist, and took her into the Riddler's (it looked like his) office inside the meat factory. It was a room that looked to have once been used to oversee everything electric in the building with it's big glowing screens, and security cameras.

The Riddler saw them, then hit a button and the screen he was intently focused on turned black. But the quick glimpse she caught of the image looked like a man wandering down a hallway with blood dripping down his face, and yelling something unintelligible she could hear emanating from the monitor's speakers.

She shivered at the terrifying image as the Joker stepped around her and walked up to Nigma, saying in his nasally, high voice he gets when he's excited, "Eddie, did you get the stuff we needed for today?"

At first Edward glared at the Joker, and his hand on his shoulder, brushing it off him as he stood from his seat. "How many times have I told you never to call me that? And of course I got the supplies; my dimwits set them up yesterday. I am not incompetent in my dealings, you know".

The Joker licked his lips, and hunched his shoulders, looking slightly agitated by Edward's tone. "Then are you finally ready to ,uh, _go? Or_ are you not done playing hide and seek with your little pastimes, hm?" He raised his painted eyebrows at Edward, and tilted his head.

Riddler turned to type something into a different keyboard, and just as he finished Emily heard a ' _bang_ ' from deep in the building, then a faint, barely audible shriek of agony.

Edward turned to the Joker with cane in hand, gesturing to the door, saying with a slight smirk, "After you, then?"

And now here Emily sat in the Joker's car with him while Edward drove ahead of them with his thugs in a small black car, as she waited for a response to her question, but not really expecting one.

Therefore she was immensely surprised as the Joker stopped drumming his fingers on the steering wheel, and looked at her sideways, smiling as he responded, "Oh, just expect to have a blast because it's gonna be _really_ fun". He said the last part in a deep, husky voice.

Something in his tone told her what he was planning on doing tonight, and Emily's eyes widened as she stuttered out, "Y-you're planning on killing people?" It was a stupid question she knew. He's the Joker after all. But she just _could not_ wrap her head around the thought of him killing possibly dozens of people in front of her. And he had the Riddler come with them? Why? She wanted to know what was going on.

The Joker gave an amused high pitched laugh in response to her question. "Did you think you'd never get in on the action with me? Don't worry; today we are going to spread a little terror. And you'd better not cause any trouble while we do it. Or. _Else"._ He said darkly.

Stupidly ignoring the obvious danger in his tone, she exclaimed desperately, "Isn't there something else you could do besides _this?_ These people have lives, too!"

They were at a stoplight, not moving so the Joker turned to grasp her forearm in a leather clad hand, as he growled to her, "N _ever_ question me again- _uh_ ". He stares into her afraid eyes, narrowing his dark ones as he added, "Or I will cut out that tongue so you _can't_ ever speak at. All. Again".

Her first instinct was to cower in fear in the face of his anger as she realized; the Joker inspired the same feelings in you when you stood up to him, as when you groveled at his feet: a feeling of total and complete terror, as well as a horrible helplessness. He could crush you like a bug if he so chose, and she was beginning to see more and more of that bloodthirsty hunger for violence that made her blood run cold. Adding to her everyday fear that he is lying about never being a rapist, and is just waiting for the right moment to pounce.

These thoughts plagued her mind as he roughly let her arm go, and sped away as the light turned green.

They had driven up to a fairly bare, and deserted alleyway behind a large skyscraper, fancy looking kind of building that looked as if you were at the top you would be able to see the whole city from there.

Emily looked up into the grey, and drizzling sky. She wondered if that might hinder whatever plans the Joker had up his sleeve for tonight? Probably not, most likely. She looked over at the Joker as he straightened the lapels of his coat, and ruffled his hair. Though why he thought it mattered what his hair, and clothes looked like was a mystery seeing as these people he's about to terrorize probably wouldn't even glance twice at his attire.

She noticed he seemed very invested in making sure his pockets were full of various knives, and sinister razors. She slowly, discreetly reached her hand towards the door handle. Thinking since she was one of the fastest in her class, she might be able to outrun him and make it to a person with a phone and call 911 to this address. Not that she knew where this address was. It was worth a shot, and even if she got re-caught in the process, then so be it.

Her hand was on the handle, and she was about to shove it open, while keeping her eyes on him. She quickly looked away to open it, and had pushed the door open only a crack when she was yanked back by a gloved hand around her bicep.

She quickly found herself pulled backwards and into his solid chest as he said in a totally different voice than the last one he had used with her, "I don't _think so._ You're going to stay right here until I say other- _wise-uh"._

His taunting tone he used totally wiped away her earlier fear and caution of him, making her struggle all the more as she sat halfway on his lap with his arm around her waist. His strong limbs were more effective than shackles as a physical restraint; her movements were now very limited in this awkward position.

Hearing him gibber a bit in amusement at her attempts to free herself, produced a feminine growl from her as she flailed her legs to get them off the passenger seat and onto the floor to push up. But he effectively stopped that by sliding his right leg under her so that he was completely sideways on his seat, and then putting his left leg over both of hers. Feeling completely trapped, she tried elbowing him in the side since that seemed to work in movies. But she got stopped once again by the arm around her stomach repositioning itself to hold over both her arms. She thought she was trapped before, but now it felt like she was being smothered. And it was making her feel slightly claustrophobic.

Hot breath down her neck made goosebumps ripple across her flesh, and she shivered slightly.

"I _would_ say you're trying my patience, and we could get caught like this at any moment.. But I think I could poss-ibly get, uh, used to this".

She heard his contented sigh, and thinking fast she figured now might be the time to get answers.

She swallowed, trying to still her voice, and jittery nerves before she said, "Y-you have been very cryptic about everything I've asked you so far, a-and I think I deserve at least some answers".

He didn't seem to be listening too closely as he gave a distracted ' _hmm'_ and started trailing his thumb over her collar bone.

She stopped herself from squirming at the sensation as she asked him, "So what are you planning to _do_ in there? And why do I need to be here?"

His thumb ceased its movements, and his arm around her tensed when he asked her, "Wha **t**... Did I _say_ about you _questioning_ me, hmm?" Not giving her a chance to respond, he continued in a mildly annoyed manner. "I have more important things to deal with right now, so I'll be...generous with you, and not bestow punishments for your bad behavior. But- _uh_ if you even _think_ about causing anymore trouble today... I will not _hesitate_ to give you some scars of your own to enhance your beauty".

Her eyes narrowed, and her lip sneered at his condescending choice of words. But she froze at his next sentence.

"Have you ever considered getting something from me by simply behaving? Or maybe you could give me something... Nice. It goes both ways; if you want something, you need to be willing to exchange something else.." He said all this in an agreeable, but also suggestive tone of voice.

She shook her head frantically, and dug her elbows into his biceps, begging, "No, please just let me go".

His nose grazed her head as he said harshly into her ear, "Did I not just tell how you need to act to get things out of me?"He exhaled angrily against the side of her face. "I will only let go of you when I feel like it. And in case you didn't get the memo; right now, I don't want to".

He leaned back against the door with her on him. She let her body go limp, fuming, "You never give me anything. Why should I give you anything just to get information I should have anyways?"

"Ha, because our positions are different. You should just accept it".

She hated him, but smoldered on the inside; yelling, and arguing did no good when he could physically overpower her. Not to mention all the knives he had at the ready that he could use to (as he had threatened) mutilate her.

Not two minutes later, she felt the Joker turn his head, then heard him quickly lick his lips before he said, "Well, it looks like the rest of the gang-uh has _finally_ made it. Let's join them, huh?" He finished in an eager voice; she could almost hear the smile he surely had on in his voice.

He shifted her off him, and got out his door, leaving her in the car by herself. She watched him walk over to the brown van that had just pulled up. About fifteen goons filed out, some with ski masks on, some with clown masks, and a couple with no masks, and tuxedos on. She frowned, it was very strange to her; why would they be dressed differently? Then she saw Joker point inside and the two in suits ran into the building. She figured maybe they were going in to pretend they were guests? She supposed she'd find out eventually.

After the Joker seemed to have given them instructions/ a pep talk, which made her lift her mouth in a slight smile imagining him actually giving a real 'pep' talk. Unnatural. Then they filed into the building, the Joker watched them before turning to walk back to the van Emily was in. His shoulders hunched, he grabbed her by the forearm again, and yanked her out; she barely had time to catch herself from falling on her face as he pulled her roughly down the ally, up to the building door.

They stopped in front of it and he looked at her with a warning glare, asking her lowly, "No bad behavior from you, _riiigh **t**_?" His hand squeezed her arm briefly, as he stared.

She looked into his eyes, as she said, "Of course not".

He smirked his scarred, blood red mouth as he said, "Good, because I'm sure you don't want to face the consequences of what _will, uh,_ happ-en if you disobey me".

She gulped, as he opened the door, and dragged her inside. She caught a glance at the entrance to the building, the lobby, and front marble counter before The Joker dragged her to a door that had a stairs picture on it. He pulled her through, and started speed walking up the many steps, she could barely make out the whistle era of his goons ahead of them as she wondered what the two tuxedoed ones we're doing ahead of them. Then a far more worrying thought occurred to her; where was Riddler? He got there long before them.

It it dawned on her while she tried to keep up with Joker since it felt like he was pulling her arm out of its socket, she figured since she didn't see anybody downstairs, or on these many steps that The Riddler must be holding them hostage right now. She felt fear grip her heart in its icy clutches for these people... And for herself.

After many many steps, she thought to herself tiredly, " _Why couldn't we have taken the elevator? Surely a place this nice has to have one!"_

Then she noticed something she hadn't before; the lights were flickering.

Then she thought, " _Isn't The Riddler proficient with electronics? Did he make it so the elevator doesn't work, to trap these people?"_ She hoped not. She hoped that they would just scare them a bit, maybe rob them. But that's not what these criminals are famous for, she figured, despondently.

They had made it to the top of the stairs even though Emily half wished that they would never reach the top, that they were simply walking up a never ending staircase. She had no desire to witness the massacre she was sure would come next. They opened the stairs door, and stepped into another lobby, this one just as classy as the one downstairs. They all stopped, and listened to music coming from some double doors in front of them.

The Joker released her arm momentarily, his hand grasping his switchblade as he growled in a husky/excited voice, his eyes burning with a vicious fire as he spoke, "It's show-time- _uh"._ With that, he pushed open the doors to the huge room, where she could hear the faint music emanating from...

... Young 18 year old Richard "Dick" Grayson, stood with his parents in the same confusion that everyone here felt as men in masks came in and first shot all security guards before any of them had a chance to defend themselves. After security was dead, they went around taking jewelry, purses, and anything of value from the city officials who were standing in their gowns and tuxes in honor of Harvey Dent Day.

The Grayson's had been hired privately by the mayor to provide entertainment for tonight's celebration in regards to celebrating this, the third year of remembering Harvey Dent, and creating The Dent Act. The 'Flying Grayson's' had been honored to perform their act separate from the circus they worked for, and be able to do this alongside the amazingly talented opera singers, musicians, and bands who had also come to show their talents this night. Dick had also planned on meeting Comissioner Gordon while he was here since he had hopes of maybe becoming a detective himself someday. But he heard from a guest that Gordon couldn't make it; family issues. At least the mayor paid good money, though. That was a bonus.

But they were only to be interrupted by these no account thugs who looked and smelled like they each needed a long shower, and what looked like their boss, he wore a long overcoat, over a green and purple three piece suit. He had green hair, with the creepiest clown look he had ever seen. And he had seen some pretty creepy clowns before. And being dragged behind this clown into the room was a rather short, petite girl with wild, curly brown hair, big bright eyes, and she looked like she hadn't had a decent meal in awhile.

" _What could something so seemingly innocent be doing with someone so obviously monstrous?",_ he wondered to himself.

Dick curled his lip, and tuned to a guest standing next to his family, saying urgently, "Quick get out your cell phone! Call the police!"

The terrified partygoer looked at the kid in front of him confusedly, "W-what? What are you talking about?"

Dick rolled his eyes, and said through gritted teeth, "We don't have pockets for our phones, surely you do. So get it out. And, call. The. Police here!"

The man jumped stuttering out, "Oh! Yes yes!" He dug his cell out of his pocket. About time, too.

Dick looked back to watch the thugs, muttering to himself, "Rich people".

Dick is surveying the huge room in a sweeping glance. He and his family were standing to the left of the long, open bar, and across from the many tables on the other side of the floor, with a dance space in the middle, and on their right a gorgeous wall of glass overlooking Gotham City.

As he watched the goons force people to the ground one by one, the man turned back to him for some reason. He said urgently, "My phone's not working! I-it just keeps beeping at me".

"What? Are you sure you're using it right?" Dick asked disbelievingly.

"Of course I am! It's my own cell phone. What do you take me for?" The man huffed.

Dick ignored him, turning to his parents, asking, "Mom, are anyone's phone's working right now?"

Mrs. Grayson looks at her son worriedly, saying back, "No, no one's are. Your father went looking for someone with a working phone. We need to do someth-"

"Lady! On the ground now! You too, kid!"

Mother and son look over to the thug pointing a gun at them, they notice that nearly every other one of the 150 guests are down on the ground and tied up, all but the mayor and his wife who were standing in the middle with the man clad in purple holding a knife to them. Only this clown's back was to them now.

"Did Ya hear what i said?! On the ground now!" The thug growled again.

Dick and his mother both share a glance right before Dick does a flying kick at the man's throat. As the man falls to the ground the other men notice, and converge on them, trying to get a hold of them. But they just kept beating man after man to the ground, injuring them, but not permanently.

Dick was about to jab a man in the eyeballs that he was holding down, when a gun went off somewhere in the middle of the room.

He released the man, and stood, looking for the source of the shot.

A thug had shot the gun.

Right into his mother's chest.

She lay on the floor in her leotard.

Surrounded by a rapidly growing pool of her own blood...

... Emily was standing behind the Joker as he held a knife to the mayor's wife's face, while the mayor was held back by two goons, and the Joker talked about his scars, then he said how it's too bad Batman wasn't here too save them since he was too busy killing of every D.A. he could get his hands on, wether it be directly, or indirectly Batman is to blame.

She was listening to all this when she heard a ' _bang',_ and then a yell of rage.

She turned in time to see a young man with black, spiky hair, and a thin lanky body leap at a thug holding a smoking gun. But the thug reacted fast, and shot him. The black haired man fell to the ground, holding his arm; evidently the goon had missed, and only given him a flesh wound. But the thug was ready to finish the job as he lifted his gun to kill him this time.

Emily's eyes widened, and she looked at the Joker who was still too engrossed in striking fear into these people to notice anything else. Even though he told her to stay by him, and had threatened many things if she disobeyed, she felt this was too important to ignore; it was life and death!

Thus, she sprinted over to the thug, ramming her shoulder into his side, knocking him to the ground. She heard him groan, and mutter, "You, bitch".

"Ass", she snarled back before looking at the boy in front of her who was doubled over on his knees, grasping his bleeding arm, and she thought she heard him crying as well.

She got on her knees, and tentatively touched his shoulder, asking softly, "A-are you okay?"

He looked up, and she stared into the deepest chocolate brown eyes she'd ever seen. He did have tear tracks down his face, and he whispered in a pained voice, "Why did you just do that? You could've been killed!" Then he looked at something on the ground behind her, then he closed his eyes, and sobbed.

Emily furrowed her brows, confused at his reaction. She turned her head around and saw what he was looking at; a blonde woman with a gaping hole in her chest that was bleeding profusely. And Emily realized with a start that she probably meant something to this boy. And now she was gone. Just like that.

Ignoring the atmosphere, the sounds of screaming people, the smell of death, and the knowledge that the Joker was still in this room, she put it all out of her mind, and focused on her next words, "I am so sorry. My name's Emily. What's yours?"

The boy looked at her hand on his arm, and then deep into her eyes. He opened his mouth to speak, "Thank you, my name i-" he stopped, staring wide-eyed at someone behind her.

Before he could utter another syllable, she was lifted up by a pair of arms around her waist. The same arms then spun her to look into the face belonging to the arms.

She looked past the Joker's angry face to see the two people he was standing with, laying in a crimson pool, looking like they both went through a lawnmower.

She felt sick, but before she could dwell on it, the Joker grasped her arms tightly, asking in a deceptively calm, husky voice, "Why is it that I seem to, uh, re-mem-berr telling you to. Stay. Right. Next. To me?" He waited for a response, and when none was forthcoming, he shook her growling, "Well?! Why do I remember saying that?"

She he looked up from the floor, into his painted face a whole head higher than hers, and said, "Probably because you did tell me that".

The Joker gave a fake yellow toothed grin, as he said with fake sweetness, like the calm before the storm, "Then, if you remember that, can you tell me _whyyy_ you did not list-en to me, hm?"

She made the mistake of glancing at the boy who's name she still didn't know. Of course the Joker noticed and looked down at him, releasing her as he did so.

He cocked his head inquisitively, asking his goons, "Wha **t** do we have _herrre?"_

The thugs standing nearby looked at each other before they looked at their boss who was waiting for a response. One stepped forward, and said shakily, "This kid attacked is when we were trying to do what you said.." He waited for the clown's reaction in fearful anticipation.

The Joker stood there staring at the boy. Then suddenly, surprising everyone as he did so, the Joker started to giggle, then laugh, then he doubled over in his laughter. Laughed like a possessed hyena for a good four minutes.

Once he calmed down, he smiled slyly at the kid on the ground who was staring at the clown in bafflement. The Joker stooped to grasp the boy's hair, and pulled his head back, asking him in a joyful voice, "So, you, uh, decided you'd beat up my poor clowns to.. What? Show us just how tough you are?" He started to giggle again a little as he said this.

Emily watched the boy narrow his eyes, and spit out, "I don't need to answer to you, you sick bastard!"

She could easily see the fury in The Joker's eyes, and body language. She could see he was about to use the knife he held in his gloved hand to slit this kid's throat. She couldn't let that happen, she didn't want to face anymore death today. But judging by how mad the Joker looked, anything she could have done next would have been better than what she chose to do.

She saw The Joker position the knife over the boy's throat, and open his mouth to speak. That's when she made her move; standing three feet away from them, she crouched, and leapt at the Joker's side, falling to the ground with him. He let out a slight grunt in surprise, but quickly positioned himself over her with his hand on her throat pressing hard, and a sneer on his face.

Emily lay under him, gasping, and gripping his wrist in her hands as she writhed with all her might to throw him off. But all that continued was a burning in her lungs, and a growing blackness around her vision. She welcomed this darkness, if it will only take the burning in her lungs away. She fell asleep unwillingly, as she stared into the Joker's angry black void eyes...

... She awoke to the almost familiar light green walls of the Joker's bedroom.

" _Wait. Joker's room?! How did I get here we were staying at... Where were we staying?"_ she thought to herself.

Then bits and pieces slowly started coming back to her. And once she felt the full onslaught of information stop, her eyes widened, realizing her costly mistake; she defied the Joker. Multiple times! She tried to get up and run, as fast as she could. To maybe even kill if she must. She just wanted to get away.

Then she felt something restricting her movements. She looked up, and just then noticed her hands tied together tightly with rope that was then attached to the headboard. She tried squirming, and kicking, and she also flipped over to be on her knees to try to get it off, but if was far too tight. She gave up with a pathetic whimper.

She stays thusly, with her bound hands in her lap, and her head bowed, knowing that when, or if he does come back, she will experience her worst nightmare. But that could be a number of things...

... She had stared at the wall for at least an hour contemplating her fate in numb fear. She felt like she couldn't move, couldn't breathe, absolutely could not talk. And that's when the door to the Joker's room opened revealing the one who had been the object of her thoughts for at least an hour.

He had a frown on his war painted, smeared face, and narrowed eyes for a few moments just standing there. Then his scarred lips slowly crept up in an exceedingly scary interpretation of a smile, it oozed menace, and the promise of extreme pain in the coming hours.

" _If you even think of causing trouble today, I will not hesitate to give you some scars of your own"._ Her memory of his voice telling her that shot through her mind.

She gulped, and slid back up against the headboard, curling in on herself. She watched him slowly reach into his pants pocket, she watched him slowly pull out his famous switchblade, and she watched him flick it open before he approached her with hunched shoulders, a sinister grin, and an outstretched purple gloved hand that reached for her...

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 **A/N**

 **BEFORE all the comic nerds come out of the woodwork to harass me, I'd just like to say; I KNOOOW that I am taking some liberties with Dick Grayson and all and that Christopher Nolan had his own version of it, but guess what? I'm making my own rules! Who needs rules anyways? That out of the way, I'd like to say;**

 **I am going to STOP being so lazy just because it's late, and finally thank you wonderful people. So here goes:**

 **To The People Who Followed/Alerted this story, thank you to:**

 **A-Mais-Pura-Preguica-do-mundo, AidansQueen, AlejandraLora, AllyKat15, BunnyMermaid, Catephens91, Cumberbatch-has-a-Sexy-voice, Dark Masta, Destinyrose18, Harlequin Shadow, Josie Ravenclaw, Macdisney123, Ninja Kity 101, Noorxoxo, RosalinRathheaet1897, Twilight Owl 135, beautifulgreek523, beladelsirine, cwsquared, fadedalion, hotcandy101, and jamcneill680. Thank you ALL!**

 **Thank you thank you thank you to all of you who favorited, there is just too many to do right now, and for that I'm grateful!:')**

 **A HUUUUGE THANK YOU TO MY REVIEWERS:**

 **jamcneill680, thank you for being my first reviewer, you're awesome!**

 **Destinyrose18, thanks for your short, to the point review;)!**

 **BunnyMermaid, eve since your first review on my story I ALWAYS squeal a bit when I see that you reviewed again. Thank you so much, you are great! Much love!**

 **HPuni101, thank you for telling me what you do not want to see, it really helps me a lot. Thank you!**

 **A-Mais-Pura-Preguica-do-mundo, thanks for telling me my chapter was awesome, it was a great confidence boost! Thanks!**

 **Bad Heart, you rock! Thanks for the kind review!**

 **AidansQueen, thank you from the bottom of my heart for telling me what you don't want to see in Joker, I'm going to try staying true to him for sure. And I hope you liked this chapter!**

 **.52, thanks for the love! I love you!... In a totally not weird way.. Stay awesome!**

 **beladelsirine, thank you for your kindness, and telling me what you'd like to see. That was grea, thanks a lot!**

 **You guys are the greatest, don't ever change! Have an awesome weekend!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: read chapter 2**

 **A/N**

 **Sorry about the cliffhanger last chapter. I know I hate when my favorite authors do that to me! But I'm updating now, and I wanted to warn you guys that I actually had a nightmare about this chapter's contents. You guys probably expect this because it's THE Joker! But still; be warned! Oh, and spoiler: there's a twist at the end some of you may have seen coming;)**

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"How many _timessss-uh_ do I have to tell you something before you'll listen to me, hm?" He seemed to be speaking through gritted, yellow teeth to contain an explosive outburst. No doubt that will certainly come later, but right now he seemed like he had something to say.

Emily stared up at his menacing figure as she sat tied on the bed, afraid, and knowing the gist of what the consequences for her actions will be, she looked up with a cold expression on her face anyways as she said back, "Maybe I just think you're all talk, and no action?" A horrible thought occurred to her after she said that, and before he could respond, she asked in a different tone, a more desperate one, "What happened to those people after you knocked me out?" Specifically she wanted to know about the boy she tried to save. Though she wasn't about to tell him that; she figured the less she told him, the better.

The look on his face, though, told her she wasn't fooling anyone. He raised an eyebrow at her, and rested a knee on the bed as he asked mockingly, "Don't you really mean 'what happened to my poten-tial lover boy'?"

Yep, he knew she obviously cared about him. Wait. He was mad about _that? Not_ the fact that she disobeyed?

While she contemplated what that could mean, he said to her fake cheerfully, "I'll have you know that at least your little outburst didn't affect my goal for last night".

"W-what did happen then? And if you think I care so much about the boy, then don't tell me about him! At least tell me what happened to the other people there".

He rolled his eyes, then quickly licked his lips before he said exasperatedly, "I didn't kill him, you know. I just... gave him something to re-mem-ber me by". His countenance seemed to get lighter the longer he spoke of the happenings of last night. "After I'd done what I _came_ to do, then we left and I let Eddie have his fun".

Her face fell, and she looked down sadly; those people were all probably dead, and she couldn't have done a thing to stop it. It made her feel so insignificant, and even more unimportant to know this fact. Those were people just like her, and... as much as she didn't want to admit it, they were also people like _the Joker is too. They did not_ deserve to die without being given a chance... But knowing that Edward probably did give them a chance in the form of a difficult riddle wasn't really any consolation. And the Joker gave the boy something to remember him by? What could that mean?

She thought of this with her head bowed, and her hands tied as she was distinctly aware of the Joker's intense stare directed at her. Whatever he was going to do, he was going to do it anywas. So she figured she may as well say how she felt about him, and not let him bully her into submission.

She turned her misty eyes to his painted face. Raising her chin she spoke defiantly to him in a whisper, "You're a monster".

He did _not_ look happy with what she said, and his eyes showed it. She shifted slightly to prepare to fight him off, but just as she moved he smiled a dark smile, and said back, "Now there's no reason to be _rude._ You should be _excited_ that you got to experience the things you have; people would beg me to take them out of their boring, hypocritical lives if they saw that the truth behind what they stand for is false".

With that, he leapt onto the foot of the bed landing in a crouch, and grasped her foot, pulling her legs in between his. As he did so, and she realized what he was doing, she quickly tried pulling herself up by the rope still around her wrists, and bent her elbows. But he was too strong, and she far too weak from lack of nutrients to give him much of a challenge, which was disheartening.

Once her arms were straight above her, and the rope was taut, he sat on her thighs. She looked into his dark, burning eyes in trembling fear of what he was going to do to her.

At first he glanced her upper body over, not meeting her eyes as if to weigh his options of what to do with her. As his eyes were intently focused on her body, he said in a deep, husky voice, "Soon you'll see things my way, _doll-faccce"._ He drew out the last word as he traced his switchblade over her forehead, brushing the hair out of her face. She closed her eyes as her only defense while he continued in the same rough tone, "But for right now I think that my doll needs to, uh, learn a _lesson_ in manners, and in how stupid it is to defend a pathetic _boy_ , and what happens when she does things she _thinks_ are heroic, but really they're quite reck-less". He growled the last word, referring to her tackling him to the ground.

Once again, she totally ignored common sense as she stuttered out in a voice that was trying to be strong, but failing as she tried to convey through her quiet voice just how little she respected him, "And what if I t-told you that I don't regret what I did in the slightest, a-and that I _did_ like that boy, and maybe if everything were different I might have had a family with him someday?".

At that, his fingers stopped twitching, he stopped tracing his knife over her skin, and even his breathing halted for a minute, while he looked up at her angrily through green hair with narrowed eyes. The look he was giving her made her press her back hard into the bed to try making herself disappear.

Still tensed, and still sitting atop her legs, he leaned towards her face, and rested both his hands above her head, putting his face directly into her's. His eyes narrowed angrily, as he asked her in what could be considered his regular voice, "Oh, _reallyyyy?"_ His breath fanned across her face, as he drew out the two words.

Figuring that she didn't push her limits enough, she glared into the face that was mere inches from her own, and said, "Yes; I would. But I wouldn't _ever_ with you".

After she finished, she twisted her head to try and escape, or wiggle away. Though what she would do once she was out from underneath him she had no idea, but she just had to at least try.

But as she struggled, The Joker slid his hand under her head, and painfully grasped a fistful of her hair in his gloved hand, as he said in a voice that completely contradicts the strong hold he had on her hair, "Maybe I should give him a reason then, _Emilyyy_ to _not_ want you by the time I'm finished with you".

Oh, she **so** wanted to tell him that he doesn't own her, and to rant that she and her friend were just in the wrong place, at the wrong time. And that she's her own person; she stands up for what she believes in, she does not submit easily. But something in his dark eyes, and the tensed set of his shoulders told her not to say anything thoughtless.

Instead, she went with a hesitant, "W-what do you mean by that?"

He smiled a yellow toothed smug smile, as he growled, "I thought you would ne-ver _assk-uh_ ".

The hand in her hair roughly pulled her head back as his mouth descended on hers. Attached fiercely, and with bruising, painful movements his mouth tried forcing her's to move, and encouraged her to participate. His tongue pierced her mouth with a confident flick, nearly choking her, and absolutely scaring the life out of her.

During this assault, she closed her eyes, hating this undeniably intimate position of him laying on her with his hand in her hair, and his mouth moving against her's, with his greasy hair tickling her face. Not only did she not know what to do or think, but to add to it was the fact that she had never been kissed before; she dreamed of sharing her first romantic kiss on her wedding day. And as he was apparently trying to seek out her evasive tongue, she frantically tried turning away, but the hand in her hair, and him on top of her prevented any movement. Resigned to having to just deal with this, she closed her wet eyes, and decided to wait it out, trying desperately not to wince, but failing when his tongue would touch somewhere that was especially sensitive.

Mercifully, after at least 5 minutes, he slowly pulled back a bit to lick across her swollen lips before leaving a final rough kiss upon them. He pulled away completely then, his hand leaving her hair as he sat straight up again with a pleased sigh. She panted, trying to catch her breath after so long, and unable to meet his eyes, she turned her head to the right and choked back a sob; not wanting to give him the satisfaction of making her cry, even though it was admittedly obvious, her pride would not allow it.

Thinking it was over, she nearly flinched right out of her skin when his gloved hands pulled the hem of her shirt up to just beneath her bra. She quickly looked back at him when he ran the bare pads of his fingers over her stomach.

His head bent, he looked up at her from beneath his brow. Licking his lip, and giving a wide smile, he said excitedly, "I wouldn't call _that_ a punishment, _sooo_ therefore". He shrugged out of his overcoat, and grasped a horrible looking knife that he seemed to favor in his right hand, positioning it just under her belly button, he said, "I am going to continue with giving you a proper attitude adjustmen **t** ".

He enunciated the last two words far more than necessary, almost like they came from the deepest recesses of his black soul. But she was not at all focused on that; she was worried about what he had in mind with that switchblade over her skin.

Her brown eyes widened when she watched his eyes practically burning a hole in her skin, and readying himself to cut. Thinking fast, she quickly asked in the most innocent, appealing, and sweet voice she could muster, "Please". The tone of her voice must be what made him look up again, this time in slight confusion. She hastily continued, "Please don't, I c-can't, just please".

Still looking at her from beneath his painted brow, he licked his lips saying in an agreeable, nasally voice, "Now, I'm sure you understand that I have to do this otherwise you'll never learn". He shook his green head as if that would convince her. Then, keeping eye contact with her, and licking his lips, he made the first incision. After he had started the torment; the worst pain she had _ever_ felt then consumed her body. The entire warehouse echoed with the sounds of her agony...

... She did not know how long he worked the same spot on her, nor for how long he would continue. She blacked out a few times, and saw him leave then return a few other times. The worst part by far though was not knowing; what was it he was doing to her? Was he doing some brand on her, a form of surgery, or something that would kill her later? At this point, quite frankly she didn't care; it was all she could do to keep her eyes open, or to focus on anything. And when _he_ was in the room then all her focus was on him; it was like watching a panther you know could, and probably will kill you and there's no way you could stop it, but you want to be prepared, and watch it anyways.

She tried to squirm as little as possible; that only worsened the burning, ripping sensation from her midsection. She knew that everyone was unique, but she found herself cursing the fact that she wasn't one of those people who passed out during immense pain or at least went into shock. Even though she blacked out a few times that did not lessen the pain a bit.

After what felt like days, and after a jabbing, tugging feeling on her skin, the pain finally lessened, but in no way disappeared. In fact, if she was to experience the pain she currently was before the initial pain had started, then this one would feel just as bad, and she would scream just as much. But as it was; her voice was far too hoarse for anymore yelling.

She watched through half open eyes as the Joker set aside some pieces of equipment, and leaned his face over where the pain had been coming from. A second later, she felt a wet, raspy touching sensation up her stomach, then somewhat tender pecks on the same spot. Belatedly realizing it was his tongue, and then kisses he placed on her skin that had been the cause of the sensations; she would have cringed if she had the ability to move. Next, she watched him pick up something brown, and wipe it all over her stomach for a while. Once he seemed satisfied, he grabbed a white, soft thing on the side, and placed it on her. Putting some type of tape over it, he was finished, then proceeded to pull her shirt back over it.

When it was all done, she felt the bed shift beneath them as he went up to her bound hands. She heard the ' _snap'_ as the bindings were tossed away as well. She had forgotten completely that her hands were even still tied at all. Then she was surprised that she still had the room in her frazzled mind to feel the emotion of irritation as she felt him grasp under her armpits, and pull her up onto the pillows next to him. She mumbled something in the negative as he did this, feeling her wound get aggravated, she tried feebly to get away from the monster, but he just hugged her against his chest. He chuckled softly as he placed a kiss on her ear, he too, soon closed his eyes and they both fell into deep respective dreams...

... Waking to the most immense pain she had ever felt, and trying to get up to the bathroom was like a torture in and of itself; each time she would lift herself up on her arms, the pain would become unbearable and she would collapse back onto the pillows to muffle her gasps and groans in them. She looked longingly at the door, then looked around her, grateful that he wasn't here right now; she didn't want to be tempted to ask for his help to get in there.

Feeling suddenly motivated, she used every ounce of willpower she had to pull herself to the edge of the soft bed, and from there she slowly swung her legs off it. She sat like that a moment feeling exceedingly lightheaded. She wanted to run forward, but that just aggravated her wound.

Speaking of that; she took this opportunity now that she was sitting up to look at it. Gingerly pulling up her shirt, and taking a moment to stare at the blood soaked bandage to steady herself, before she slowly peeled back the wrapping, wincing as it pulled her inflamed skin a bit. What she saw was not what she expected to see; it was a stitched up gash starting just below her belly button, to about four inches down. She didn't know what that accomplished in his mind except for giving her an 'attitude adjustment'.

Deciding she would think about it more later as right now she had to use the restroom, she steeled herself, then grasped the nightstand on her right, and using it as stability she shifted her body onto her feet, closing her eyes briefly at the pulling, stinging sensation. When the discomfort passed a bit, she tentatively limped her way to the bathroom, using the wall as support. Once inside, she came across a mortifying problem; it hurt terribly to use the muscles needed when using the toilet. So she had to take it slow, making her stay in there for a solid 30 minutes.

On the way out as she leaned against the counter, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror, making her pause to really look at herself for the first time in... She didn't know how long. Now that she looked at herself, she saw only glimmers of the anti-social bookworm, the smart-mouthed mama's girl, and the girl who never attracted anyone's attention except for someone she really wished wouldn't notice her. She felt ruined, she felt pained, she felt different. He had changed her, and she felt that even if she did get away she would never be the same again. She still wondered what made her so different from every other girl in this city. But she chose not to dwell on that; it would only make her feel worse.

As she was stepping out of the bathroom, her toe caught on where the linoleum ended, and the bedroom's carpet began; tripping her so she fell on her hands, giving them rug burn. She looked to the bed, and completely lost any former motivation she might have had for reaching it, and pulling herself onto it. Besides, she had come to associate that bed with him; it (like her) belonged to him, it was where he slept, and it was also where he had assaulted, and cut her open. She shuddered at the memory, and curled into a ball on the floor feeling more comfortable there since he didn't own the floor, it was more neutral territory. So she lay there, lost in her thoughts as she tried not to think about a certain war painted, green haired, purple wearing clown while she allowed herself to be swallowed by self pity...

... She had been curled up on the floor for hours, clutching her aching middle, as she fought off the nausea, when she heard the bedroom door slowly open, then close with a ' _click'_. She felt more than saw in her half-conscious state someone's eyes on her back, as she held completely still, feeling the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end while she willed him with all her might to just leave her there.

Of course she shouldn't hope for things like that anymore, when she heard footsteps, then felt someone's presence crouched behind her. She nearly broke her faking sleep act when a gloved finger trailed it's way up her arm, to her shoulder, and his voice sang to her, " _Emilyyy, wakey wakey._ If you're going to sleep right now, it needs to be _in bed_ ". He paused, probably waiting for a response though he wouldn't get one from her. He gave a long sigh, then said, "Alright, if that's how you're going to be".

Suddenly the floor flew away from her face as she was lifted up, and held against his body. Her eyes flew open in pain, and she clutched her stomach, feeling like she was about to vomit even though her stomach was empty. She whimpered against his chest when he sat on the bed next to where he just deposited her.

He had an arm around her shoulders to hold her there while he reached for something on the nightstand. She closed her eyes against the burning sensation while her head lolled against his shoulder, when she heard a cheerful, "Open up".

Her eyes opened a little to see him holding a spoon with two pills on them. She frowned, suspicious and asked hoarsely, "What are those?"

He chuckled like a crazy hyena before he spoke again. "Well, I thought you wouldn't want to be in intense pain all day; I got you some pain relievers". He said this like he had just brought her the moon and expected an appropriate response from her. After all he had done..

Self preservation told her he could be lying. But why would he poison her after he went through the trouble of stitching her up? He could have just let her bleed to death, so they probably were pain relievers.

Still, she didn't want anything from him, so she ignored the pain she felt, and turned her head away, telling him as much, "If that's even what those are, I still don't want them".

She felt him shrug next to her, as he sang smugly, " _Okay, if you say sooo"._ She hears them clatter back into the bottle while she wondered why his arm was still on her. She got her answer when the spoon was in front of her again, this time with soup in it.

She still didn't want anything from him though she was starving, so she turned her head again, this time not saying a word.

He sighed again, and said in a fake regretful voice to her, "You know that if you keep _act-ing_ like a chil _d,_ then I'm going to _treat_ you like one".

Wondering what he meant by that, she got her answer when his left hand pinched her nose, making her open her mouth to breathe as she yelled, "Hey!" As she did so, the spoon was expertly shoved in her mouth, then pulled back out.

She turned her head to glare at the Joker, he just grinned back; he seemed like he was in a better mood today than yesterday, as he said, "Did I ever tell you that I ne-ver lose?"

She held her hand out for the spoon, ignoring his rhetorical question and not wanting to be treated like a kid any longer. "Can I have the spoon, please?"

"Hmm". He dangled it out of her reach, as he asked, "I don't know.. Are you sure you're well enough to eat on your own?"

She pressed her lips together, and nodded her head sharply while she refrained from saying it was his fault she was unwell.

Apparently it didn't matter what her answer was, as he slyly insisted on feeding her himself, which was, in her mind, one of the most embarrassing things ever. He would put it in her mouth, and when he took it out he would say patronisingly 'good girl'; he was _so_ condescending.

When she had finished the soup, he asked her deviously, "Do you _really_ want to know why I kept you?"

He smirked inside as she turned to him with a stunned look on her face. Unable to speak, since she was so surprised, she nodded her head frantically in affirmative.

Exceedingly confused, she watched him as he grinned at her before he bounced off the bed, and walked to his desk, pulling a laptop out of a drawer and turning to her with a mischievous look on his face. He slowly walked back to her, with the thing in hand.

Sitting beside her again, he typed a few things into it before setting it in her lap, as he asked her slyly, "Do you recognize that?"

And she did recognize it; it was her old video from a few months ago from her old YouTube account. She had actually had quite a few subscribers to her channel, and she used to entertain thoughts of being a YouTuber one day. But what has that got to do with why she's here?

She looked at him, and said shakily, "I don't u-understand..."

He smiled, and pinched her cheek before he turned up the audio as he said, "Don't worry; you will".

Then, she _really_ heard the words she had spoken in that video, and she realized in horror just how it had sounded to the Joker when he first found this video God-know-when:

" _This corrupt system we have in America needs to be taken **down**! We need to stop being sheep, and start being the wolves. We can't let these officials continue to beat us down; we need to take a stand, not care what people think, and most important of all; no mercy for hypocrites"._

"Please, turn it off", she whispered.

The Joker looked at her out of the corner of his eye with a raised eyebrow as he powered down the laptop. He asked her teasingly, "But why? We didn't even get to the best part. And you were doing so well; great motivational speech, but you could do better. I'll teach you how; you'll learn from the best".

"No, I didn't mean that! I was just influenced by friends to say that; we were just goofing off!"

He turned to kneel next to her on the bed, "Remember how I said that a connection like this can't be random?" Not waiting for a response, he grasped her head between his large hands as he continued excitedly, in his high pitched voice, "Well, it was no coin-cidence how I happened to find your... _Inspiring_ video, or how you had a best friend living in Gotham that I could pay to lure you here, to the right place, at the right time". He smiled an evil smile. "That's why I had to punish you; to show you that I'm the only one for you. I know what's best for you, for Gotham...and for us".

She felt like her world had come crashing down around her; her best friend... Had lied to her, she had lured her here for money. Emily just now realized the only person she thought cared about her besides her mom, didn't actually care.

Not caring at the moment who held her, she just wanted to be held, so she threw herself into the Joker's chest, crying, and grasping onto the lapels of his coat, wondering what the point of everything was? Why was she even alive, at all? She didn't add anything to this world, she wasn't special. She just wanted to escape from it all, and never come back...


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: read chapter 2**

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She continued to cry her heart out, not at all aware of her surroundings as she grasped onto the solid thing in front of her, the _only_ thing to her that didn't feel like it was spinning. Too wrapped up in her sulking, and depression to notice anything else but the feeling of betrayal. Her _best friend,_ her _only_ friend, betrayed her, tossed away their friendship like it was trash. Now Emily completely understood why Sam was acting so strange that night about getting a ride. She knew what was going to happen, though she probably didn't account for getting her head bashed in.

" _Serves her right, wherever she is",_ Emily thought bitterly to herself. " _Probably moved away or something. Come to think of it; she was pretty vague on why she called out of the blue and invited me here... Of course it all makes sense now"._

Still wrapped in her thoughts, it took Emily completely by surprise when she felt... fingers? Running up and down her spine. Her eyes opened to green and purple, and right then it clicked, and she jerked away from _him,_ the reason she was in this situation to begin with.

Irritating her wound as she hastily backed away across the bed to gather her thoughts away from him. She looked back with sad eyes as she clutched her wound while he just simply returned her stare in amusement.

Licking his bottom lip once, quickly before he asked her, "Aw, why _soooo serious, sweethear **t**_?" as he said those words he smirked like he was enjoying some inside joke.

Then, to her rising horror, he edged closer and she couldn't get off the bed fast enough to evade him because of the pain still emanating from her middle. Still, she tried turning around to swing her legs off the bed as fast as she could. Which made her about as quick as an old lady with really bad arthritis; not that fast. So it wasn't a total surprise to her when his arm wrapped around her stomach to pull her back. She did, however yelp in pain not surprise as he intentionally put pressure on her freshly stitched up, overheated gash.

He pressed his red lips to her ear, and in a husky whisper asked mockingly, "Going somewhere?"

She couldn't move in this kind of pain, so she just stuttered in her now hoarse voice, "Y-yes, I w-was".

"Where could you possibly want to go besides here?" he asked in a fake hurt voice.

"Anywhere away from you". She snarled. Angry that he thought he could hold her this way after all he'd done to her both physically and mentally.

She felt him roughly put his hand under her shirt, and run his smooth, leather clad fingers over her stitches, making her still instantly, the unspoken threat causing a fit of shivers to overtake her.

As he did this, he spoke in an almost convincing, regretful Ronen of voice. "And I thought, we finally came to an understanding yesterday". She frantically searched her memory for what he was referring to, and when she remembered, her yes widened at his subtle implication of more pain to come if they didn't 'understand' each other.

He sighed, resting his chin on her head. "You know what I think?" He turned her around so her back was against the headboard.

She grunted, as he moved her none too gently, and there was no movement she could make that would hinder him, while not intensifying her pain. So she accepted him moving her, and just gritted her teeth while sucking in a deep breath.

She opened her eyes to see him looking at her face expectantly, his own set in a scowl. She took the this time to really analyze his face for the first time; she already knew he was handsome without the paint on, he had nice eyes, a strong jaw, and ironically enough, a nice smile. His _actual_ smile was nice. But that didn't make her feel any attraction towards him. What matters is what's on the inside- looks fade, and she was pretty sure she had seen enough to know what is inside him; nothing but evil intentions, apart from the few times he shows a shred of decency towards her.

"Wellll?" He drawled out in a nasally voice.

Startled out of her thoughts, she looked up at him in a mix of puzzlement, and annoyance, "Well', what?"

"Do you know what I think?" He repeated slowly like he was asking a question to a 3 year old.

Her eyebrows furrowed, as she answered hesitantly, afraid of saying the wrong thing right now after what he did... was it yesterday now?

"No..."

She could tell he was running his tongue over the inside of his right cheek as he watched her, a growing smile forming on his face. The kind that made her feel sick.

He clasped his hands, finally continuing with what he was going to say. "I, uh, think we should be more... _comfortable_ with... _touching..._ each other". He drew out the sentence a lot longer than necessary.

She could not help herself but feel frantic at his suggestive tone. Starting to panic since she could in no way defend herself. And that panicky feeling showed itself in her response to his words, as she growled out, "Try it. I swear I won't give in to you. I know that by 'we' you mean 'me' since you don't seem to have a problem with touching".

He opened his mouth in a quick, high pitched giggle in genuine amusement at her words. He looked at her sideways, as he said, "Oh, it's not as bad as you think! We just need to be comfortable with, say, little _baby_ step touching. Starting with this".

His hands reached out, and held her face between them while his own painted one inched closer.

Remembering the kiss/assault from before, she quickly put her hands on his hard chest. Pushing feebly, she grunted out, "I think you just want me to submit to you...because" she panted, quickly losing energy, "you see this as a challenge..and you...don't..like to..lose".

His nose made contact with her forehead as he said, "Hmm, that _could_ be it". He sounded like he was taking some serious satisfaction from her discomfort.

Repeating something she was sick of saying, she could think of no other words except for, "Just please don't do this".

His hands still on her, he pulled back to look in her eyes with his head tilted as he asked rhetorically, "Is the little girl un-com-fort-able?" He over enunciated the syllables in the last word. One of his hands went to hold the small of her back, and press their kneeling forms together, while his other hand snaked to hold onto the hair on the back of her head as he asked lowly, "Would she like it if we _made_ her _more_ comfortable?"

Her eyes widened, and she shook her head frantically. He smirked his scarred lips in response, keeping his hands where he had put them, and feeling her trembling against him as he put his mouth to the side of her head and placed a kiss on her temple, then her ear. All the while she fought to hold still, not understanding why he wasn't getting on with it. Then the strangest of sensations happened; he licked the shell of her ear. She flinched, unable to find a word for the feeling except; gross.

She knew, or at least hoped it would be over soon when he brought his lips right before her's. She didn't want to be forced to fight him, and then receive another punishment afterwards. So she resigned herself to letting him kiss her a second time, and letting him open her mouth. But when his tongue entered, she couldn't help it; she cringed away to the side and broke the kiss.

Before he could voice an annoyed remark, she quickly begged him, "Please not like that".

He raised a black painted brow at her. Seeing his face, her own heated a beet red, she felt so awkward explaining how she wanted to kiss someone, especially if she had to talk about it with a murderer. That just felt entirely wrong. But she still had to say, "Can't it just be on the cheek or something?"

He looked exceedingly mischievous as he answered while running his fingers through her hair, "I'm afraid not, now are you going to be quiet?"

She lowered her eyes, giving up on begging; it does no good. And nodded her head reluctantly yes.

He smiled as he said huskily, "Then re- _laaax_ ".

She looked up to ask him how on earth he could expect her to relax. She never got to ask though, as he was kissing her again. She closed her eyes, expecting it to last a while like the last time. Surprisingly however, he broke away after a mere minute.

He raised both eyebrows at her, and smirked as he asked, "See; that wasn't _so bad_ was it?"

Unable to meet his eyes, she looked down and nodded her head.

"Now then, how about we check that bandage?" He reached to lift up her shirt.

She frowned at him, still feeling the sting of betrayal, and hugged her arms across her middle, as she said as viciously, and sarcastically as she could manage, "I'm _fine_ without your so very generous 'help'".

"This again, huh? Would you like to see what happens if I don't help you _at all-uh_?", he growled.

She knew he was right; she did need his help to do things. But that was his fault! He's the reason she's here at all. And him being the one to bring her here explains how he knew her favorite colors, and foods; he researched her, or had someone do it for him. She belatedly realized that Sam, her former best friend, told her the day she came here that The Joker had been sending videos, threats towards Batman, and blowing up buildings until a few months ago. Around the same time Emily had uploaded that YouTube video... Sam had hinted that he seemed to maybe have stopped to instead focus on planning something. Something big.

She sighed and pulled her arms back to allow him to change her bandage. As he did so, she flinched at his warm hands on her stomach. Then while he did this she thought of what Kate told her on her second day here; if the Joker wants something, he gets it. She was learning that more and more. When they fought, either getting physical or mental, she never won. No matter how much she wishes she could fight him off. Maybe she should just accept what's going on. Maybe, just maybe... If she didn't cause any trouble. Then he might at least let her _talk_ to her mom. It was worth a shot at least.

She was drawn out of her thoughts by him pulling away from her, and slipping his gloves back on. He stared into her eyes with his chin tucked slightly, looking up beneath his brow as he watched her for a minute. She felt incredibly uncomfortable under his probing gaze; she shifted on her knees a bit.

Startling her, The Joker suddenly jumped off the bed and stood beside her with his hand on her shoulder as he whispered to her deviously, "It's almost time. Do you, uh, want to see some _fire-works?"_

Emily shrugged out from under his hand, knowing with almost absolute certainty what he meant by 'fireworks'. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "I don't suppose there's any point in me asking you if you'll reconsider?"

She turned to him fully then with hopeful eyes. And he narrowed his disapprovingly at her in response. But with mischief lacing his voice he said back, "Mmm". He pretended to think, then said, "Not really".

Grabbing her bicep, and pulling her off the bed he walked with her out his bedroom door. Ignoring her pained moans as they walked down the halls together to the right of his room, through a large, bare room, and finally up a rather long, steep flight of stairs.

They were halfway up when her shortness of breath, and the pain in her stomach forced them to stop lest she pass out. His quick, long strides were too hard for her to keep up with her short height, and healing wound.

She panted, holding her middle as she gasped out, "I can't.." Heavy pants, then deep breath. She looked into his unsympathetic face as she tried reasoning with him in the best way she could. "I can't w-walk as fast... As you; m-my stomach.." She groaned, bending over. "It hurts".

She glanced back up briefly when she heard him sigh. She thought she saw the expression in his eyes change slightly, but the look was gone as fast as it came. He stepped closer impatiently, taking her by surprise once again when he put a long arm behind her knees, and the other around her shoulders, lifting her up. She tensed against him.

Holding her close as he muttered more to himself than anyone else, and resumed walking up the steps "We don't want to miss this, no we don' **t** ". While he walked smoothly and quickly upwards, Emily couldn't help but feel a bit of reluctant awe, and quite a lot of fear at his stamina; it was like he could go on forever, and just never quit, never getting short of breath once.

Once they were at the top, he easily held her in on arm while he opened the door with this other hand. It was the door to the roof, Emily saw. And she was instantly hit with a mixture of fresh and also smoky air. She frowned, looking around at the heavily clouded sky, with the sun just beginning to set to the west, painting the thick, grey clouds in a dazzling, vibrant orange.

That was when she saw it. Or them would be a more accurate description. There were quite a lot of fires originating from many buildings. Some were work places from what she could tell, others were banks, and some to her horror... Were homes. Apartments, that could have had children with their parents inside.

She was far too distracted to remember that the Joker was still holding her, or that he had kicked the door closed behind them, and was staring at her disconcertingly.

She was set on her feet though she was too numb to notice, and she vaguely registered a purple blur step past her to the edge of the roof. When he was in her line of sight, she tore her gaze away from the smoke, and looked at him with a scowl on her face. He seemed to revel in the panic, and widespread terror he surely had inflicted on this city. She stepped closer at hearing his mutters, and seeing a fire growing in his dark eyes themselves.

"Come on, come on, come on". The chant he said to himself seemed to excite him more, and make him more fidgety waiting for something (she assumed was pretty big) to happen.

Just as she was watching him warily, and slowly starting to slink back, that's when it happened; a loud ' _boom'_ could be heard in the distance. And though too far away for there to be any vibration here, you could tell just from the sound, and the faint blasting of police stress in the distance proved that this was a gigantic explosion. And probably somewhere that at least a few people probably will be killed. The thought tugged at Emily's heart.

Unable to stand not knowing any longer, she turned her head to The Joker's profile- his eyes were closed, and his head was tilted back with a slight upturn at the corners of his mouth. He wasn't even looking at the havoc he had wreaked. Merely standing there, reveling in it. It made her feel incredibly guilty just watching someone enjoy these horrific acts so much.

She finally asked the question that was burning in her mind, breaking him out of his trance, "Why would someone like you want anything to do with someone who dislikes you as openly as I do?" She looked away, terrified of his response to her words, "Why haven't you just killed me already?"

He must be on some sort of his own personal high, seeing as what she said didn't even faze him. He looked at her sideways with a half smile, and asked her, "What does that mean; 'someone like me'?"

Now she knew he was just mocking her, and that brought a rise up in her as she said back angrily, but cautiously as well; she hadn't forgotten what he did to her, he could do it again just as easily.

She met his black rimmed eyes, as she growled out, "I mean someone who thinks so little of others' lives. What makes you, or me for that matter, any more deserving of life than them?"

"Now I never said I deserve life more than them. We're all the same after all". He gestured his hands out. "But unlike them I just so happen to not care about fake morals, and what's 'right' what's 'wrong'. Who made those things up anyways? Do you know?" He pointed at her from a few feet away, giving her a knowing look as he licked his red lips, and said in a sing-song voice. "And I know you think _the same way._ Don't bother denying it".

She didn't realize he had walked to be right in front of her until his long fingered hands were grasping her shoulders. She tried twisting away even though she was in pain; she didn't like her space being invaded.

"I told you already; I didn't mean it!"

Ignoring her statement as he often does, he rested his white painted forehead on her's and whispered, "These people are little red ants on a hill in the grand scheme-uh of things". He licked his lips very close to her face, making her even more uncomfortable. "Isn't it exciting to be above them? To have that control? Now that the mayor's gone for a while". He snickered at that, then composed himself a bit. "This city will be in the palm of my hand. Everything will be mine". He sounded like he was trying to convince her of something.

By the way he said 'everything' she could easily tell what he meant by that, so she glared, and tried to wrench her arms free. "Let go of me. You don't own me".

Once again; she didn't give him much of a challenge. He just snickered again, and released an arm in favor of putting his hand on her back to pull her close. He looked down at her, and smiled a devilish smile as he said slowly, and verging on menacingly, "I own whatever I can take... And I _take_... Whatever I want".

Though it was admittedly nothing new to hear from him, her face still paled, and her palms got sweaty at his admission. She shrunk back slightly from the look on his face. He had many emotions flitting in his eyes, and expression; from devilish, to teasing, to something dark and evil. Still staring at her strangely, his left arm came back from around her waist, and grabbed her arm to guide her right hand up to his left shoulder. She didn't like where this was heading as she then felt his right hand slide down her arm to her left hand. Grasping it tightly, hurting her fingers he lifted it in the air, and said slyly, "Care for a dance?"

" _As if I have a choice",_ she thought unhappily to herself.

Though as he smiled darkly, and started to guide them across the roof, she did recognize that somehow, somewhere, there was probably a girl who would have found him roguishly charming. She, though was still very much afraid of him, and of what could happen after this. So many things have changed in her life in the short span of a few days; at this rate she figures she will probably forever be the plaything to a psychopath, or whatever he is, she will probably never see her mom again, and she lost the person she thought was her only friend. These were tough pills to swallow.

But she was going to try making the most of it, she thought as The Joker stopped moving them, and seemed content with listening to the sirens with his arms around her waist while he chuckled occasionally. She resolved that she would absolutely endure. And maybe she could get her way sometimes.

" _And who knows what will happen?",_ she thought as she felt him brush a rather rough kiss against her temple. " _After all; I'm only as broken as I allow myself to be"._

They stood thusly; on the edge of the warehouse roof, he holding his arms around her, and she simply standing as still as possible as they both looked over the destruction and mayhem from different perspectives; he in rapture, excitement, and anticipation. While she was incredibly saddened by everything, and completely mentally drained, and wishing for sleep even if it's in the Joker's bed; she was so tired. But, she acknowledged the lovely sunset. It was stunning; Rays of fading orange, bright pink, and huge golden clouds, their edges closest to the sun a radiant yellow/white like the tip of a hot needle held inside a fire for too long. Maybe with a sunset this lovely it was foreshadowing the promise of a lovely tomorrow, a tomorrow that was better than today. She decided she would look at the glass half full from now on. When you're with the Joker- albeit, unwillingly- surely some crazy, and exciting stuff is bound to happen... Right?...

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 **THANK YOU ALL WHO HAVE ADDED THIS STORY TO ALERTS, FOLLOWED, READ, AND FAVORITED! YOU'RE ALL GREAT! Thanks sooo much!**

 **Thanks ESPECIALLY to my reviewers! It was great that some of you liked my twist. I knew from the beginning coming up with this story that the Joker needed another reason to 'keep' a girl indefinitely. I really love you guys. Not. In a weird way or anything;) Thanks specifically BunnyMermaid, and AidansQueen for reviewing every chapter. I have more to say to you, but I'll leave it at that instead of rambling. I really hope you guys liked this chapter!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: read chapter 2**

 **A/N**

 **So, I understand some of you want to know exactly what Joker did to Emily. All I can say is... All in due time;) I'm not someone to (at least not intentionally) leave you guys in the dark about things, and that WILL be revealed. It actually kind of plays a huge part towards the end of this story..Eventually... Until then, keep it on your mind, and enjoy!**

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Emily had learned some days later that the huge explosion she had heard was Gotham University. Apparently it was a college. The thought of all those people barely older than her having their lives torn away with no warning whatsoever left a bitter taste in her mouth. There was also a part of her, it was small, but it still upset her, and it was the part that was grateful that she wasn't there when this happened as they were barely older than her. She knew it was selfish, and she hated herself for it. _He,_ on the other hand, would tell her that it's natural for her to feel like this. He wanted her to participate in his 'games' but he never told her how he does it. He didn't even tell her what's going to happen now that the mayor is dead and the main Gotham college was blown up. Is he just meaning for her life to be a huge joke? That's what it seemed like to her.

Upon coming out of the bathroom that same night in _fresh_ pajamas, she noticed The Joker sitting in his desk chair while shuffling a deck of cards, with the newer book he had gotten for her sitting on the desk by his arm. Surely he had done that on purpose; made it so that she had to come close to pick it up. She had noticed that he was always fidgeting, and his fingers were always moving. But it seemed to her that when he held her close, or touched her chin, or her hair, that he would still his movements a bit and become more in the moment instead of lost in his thoughts that were most likely consisting of mass murder.

She had also become aware of another odd thing; his makeup-less face. When she first saw him without the paint he had huge black circles under his eyes that didn't come from the paint staining them; they were from lack of sleep. But she was surprised to make the connection that when he started to sleep next to her, the bags slowly went away until they were all but entirely gone. She did not like that she was helping him by sleeping alongside him.

She held her wounded stomach in her right hand, and squared her shoulders as she walked over to him, resolving to snatch her book, and back away quickly as possible. She stepped closer, looking at the side of his bare face to gauge how distracted he looked. He seemed to be very interested in whatever it was he was thinking, so she looked next at the Christmas Shoes book he had given her yesterday.

He had handed it to her saying, "I had, uh, heard you liked Christmasy things", he had then winked at her but he also withheld it from her at first, saying he needed something in return. When she asked what he would want, he had said it depends on his mood; maybe a kiss, maybe a shoulder rub.. maybe even for her to sing to him. She remembered the mortification she felt when he suggested she do those things.

She was right at his desk now, and she reached her small hand out for the book. Her hand had just come in contact with it when a large, tan hand was suddenly over her's, making her jump, and look at him in puzzlement.

He still had the cards in his left hand, and he was looking up at her sideways, with a smile tugging at his scarred lips.

Setting the cards down, he grasped her hand in his larger one, drawing her nearer. She complied, because what's the point of fighting him? He would most definitely win a physical battle. She did tense up when she was right in front of him, and he reached to grasp her chin. As he did so, she was reminded how short she was; even when he was sitting, she barely stood a few inches above his head.

He stroked her chin with his thumb, as he then asked in a seemingly innocent tone, "What are you up to, hm?" He raised his eyebrows quizzically.

She fought the urge to shrink back from his stare, as she responded in a strong voice, "I was going to get my book, and read it on the bed".

He slowly licked his upper lip, and she looked at them as he did so. She felt disgusted knowing those lips had been pressed against her's already, and that they would be again most likely.

She was pulled out of her contemplating by him releasing her jaw- where there was surely some red finger marks by now- and held her shoulder as he guided her (to her utter embarrassment) into his lap as he said, "Now why would you want to sit over there? I feel like this is far more enjoyable, don't you, _Emily_?"

She he didn't like the way he said her name, but she liked it even less when his arms slid around her middle just above the inflamed stitches. She felt him rub the goosebumps that had appeared on her arm; running his fingers over her biceps and down to her forearm. He seemed to have habits that included licking his lips when he was focused and intent on something (which was a lot), gesturing with his hands when he was playing it up to his audience, and now he liked touching her a lot more than he did during her first few days here.

It was like he had suddenly realized that he took pleasure in making her uncomfortable, and scaring her (or he just did that without even trying), both of those things were easily accomplished when he got overly touchy-feely with her. It was like he was fascinated with someone who (almost) completely willingly allowed him to touch them without screaming, and running in terror. She would just fight him, or say something snarky, which he also seemed to like. He was so confusing, but she was determined to figure him out, and try finding a way he might let her speak to her family. Starting with asking for little things, like being allowed outside this stuffy room. Though she had been on the receiving end of his wrath before, so she tried ('try' being the key word here) to ask things in a respectful way so as not to evoke his anger.

She squirmed a tiny bit as she responded to his earlier question, "No, I don't enjoy this at all". She internally winced at her own carelessly blunt attitude. She hastily tried covering it up, "I-I've just never been held this way before, it's awkward, I'm not sure what to do..." She could feel his even breaths on the back of her neck. "That's why I don't want to sit here", she finished with her voice barely above a whisper.

His fingers were circling over her pale arm, that hadn't seen serious sun in quite a while. Then he whispered back in a teasing voice, "That's really too bad; I happen to like this quite a bit... Maybe I should show you how to like it more?" His hand moved from her arm to he stomach, pressing her against him.

Her light brown eyes widened, and she put both of her hands on his warm one, to grasp it, but also hold it back as she said quickly, "No no no, this is f-fine. I'll just sit here, an-and read. But.." She was going to try to get him to see things from her perspective. Which seemed an impossible task. "I would really, honestly be a lot more content if... If I had other things to do, maybe?" It felt so odd to ask for stuff this way; normally she would be far more abrasive in her comments. However, she had seen how well demanding stuff from him had worked, so now to adapt, and try a different route. And toss aside her pride and dignity in the process.

She heard, and felt his eerie chuckle behind her, and she froze, awaiting his response, sure that it would be bad.

" _Like_... what?"

Her mind reeled in shock that he was actually hearing her out. He must be in a good mood with all the havoc he has wreaked lately. So finding herself tongue tied since she hadn't expected such a promising response, she finally gushed out, "I'd really like to be able to explore this place?" For a second she wondered if she should mention what he had promised her, then decided she would say it anyway, "You said, before we left for the Riddler's that I could explore 'if I was good'... So, can I?"

"As I re-call, you weren't par-tic-ularly good while we were gone". Her heart, and hopes sunk to her feet as he continued. "And you were very naughty during Harvey Dent-ah Day.."

"Please, can I? I'd just like to go a little ways?" She turned her head to look at him.

He was looking up, noting how her voice had lost all hope. While he chewed his bottom lip, he contemplated how this wouldn't be such a bad thing to give her a little of what she asked. He might even get something better from the deal than her. At that thought, his dark eyes locked into her's as he said slyly, "Fine, but you have to ask me first, and give _me_ something..."

The suggestive tone he used made her hesitate, and shocked her that she could even place what tone he had. Then she knew she had to ask the question anyways, so she repeated what he said earlier though more quietly, "...Like what?"

His dark eyes seemed to spark at her question even though he expected it. And while smiling evilly, he tightened his arms around her like coils of a dragon's tail, and said in a grating, husky voice, "Kiss me".

She felt even more uncomfortable than she already was, as she responded with feigned strength, "You really expect me to do that just so that I can step outside this room once in a while, and only at your discretion?"

"Should I make it something more?" His right hand easily held both her wrists in it, as his left came to rest on her thigh. Lightly brushing his fingers under the soft fabric of her nightgown as he prodded her further with a, "Hmm?"

As much as she tried to quell her tremors, they started to overpower her. And so terrified of how many liberties he might take since there was no one to stop him, she gave him what he wanted. She was already sideways on him, so all she had to do was twist a bit more, which was made difficult with both his hands on her, and lean her lips onto his bare, though soft puffy lips. She saw his slightly stunned expression before she closed her eyes, and tried moving her lips in ways she didn't even know if they would work to distract him from his current train of thought. She soon found out that it didn't take him any time at all to take the lead, and release his hands from her leg, and wrists. Instead he held her back tightly, and dipped his other hand into her curly hair, gripping her scalp.

She quivered, but tolerated the contact. She could almost feel his thrill of excitement at her trepidation, and submission to him. She kept repeating in her head that she was doing this for privileges, to try giving her the motivation she needed to sit here and take his bruising lips, and teeth on her, and his hand all over her back.

Finally, after a long capturing, and holding of her lips between his, he released them, but kept his hands on her, staring at her with a mocking smirk. At least it looked mocking to her, as he started to speak in a slightly out of breath, nasally voice, "If you wanted it that bad, you could have just asked". He snickered like she imagined a demon would.

She frowned at him, then remembered she was trying to get things from him. So she smoothed her frown off her face, and slowly, cautiously brought her hands to his chest. He was only wearing his pants, socks, and blue hexagonal shirt so she could easily feel his hard muscles under the thin fabric.

She tried ignoring the fact that she was in a man's lap, and she never has been before now, much less that she had kissed him. She looked up at him pleadingly, and asked pathetically, "So can I please check this place out?"

His eyes narrowed, and he seemed to be judging if she had an ulterior motive. Then he broke into a yellow smile, and said, "Why not? I'm a pretty... _reasonable_ guy".

She resisted the urge to question him on the 'reasonable' part, and asked eagerly, "Can I go out there now?"

"No _p_ e". He popped his lips as he said this, and stood up with his hand still on her back. "It's time for bed".

Her face fell, thinking he was just leading her to believe something that would never happen as a way to mess with her. He might even do this every time she asked him for something; make her do something for him in exchange, and then find some excuse not to give her what she had originally asked for.

He noticed this, and licked the corner of his mouth before he said with feigned sincerity, "Why the long face, _sweetheart_? How about you tell me all about it?"

She immediately went through the reasons in her head of why he would even care to ask this? " _Maybe he's trying to gain my trust? Well, he'll have to do a lot more than ask me why I'm sad if he wants that from me too. Still, it can't hurt me if I answer him",_ she thought to herself.

She looked at him again, pushing away the little voice in her head telling her to get his hand laying possessively on the small of her back, off and said truthfully, "I'm just thinking that if I can't do it tonight, then it'll probably never happen".

She watched him as his face went from amused, to severely irritated. His eyes narrowed, and he growled out, "You don't be-lieve me when I tell you something?"

She was about to try quelling his anger, when she decided she didn't want to be a doormat right now, so she scowled herself, and snarled, "No, I don't really believe you when you say something. I think you're really good at pretending you mean something, when you really mean the exact opposite. So yeah. I admit it; I don't think I'll be able to do anything fun anytime soon".

His expression slowly went back to amused, though still held a bit of agitation in his dark brown eyes. He smiled a dark grin as he said, "So you don't think I'm fun then? We _coullld_ do something fun in here, you know..."

She quickly sidestepped away, and stood by the wall glaring at his giggling self. She said slowly, and quietly, "No. Way. I want to go out of this room. That's it".

He walked past her, still snickering as he threw back the covers, and climbed in. He looked at her still standing by the wall, and said warningly, " _Emily_ ". It was like he was tasting her name; she tensed up, taking a step back. "Get in here, now". His lip curled a bit as he said in a whisper, "Don' **t.** Make me. Re- _peat_ myself".

She definitely felt afraid of his unspoken threat, but she knew that for some reason even though he could easily manhandle her to get her to do what he wanted, he seemed to get a kick out of getting her to do something just because he told her to. So using this knowledge, she was hell bent on getting her way in this; she was so bored lately! And she needed a break from his overwhelming, energetic presence, so she will try hard to be able to go outside, and she won't go to sleep until he gives an answer.

She squared her shoulders, and shook her head no to his order.

The Joker stared at her with narrowed eyes, and seemed to be at war with something in his head, she readied herself to run if needed no matter how little good it would do.

Surprising her when he didn't immediately attack her, he instead sighed theatrically and then said in an exasperated voice, "If you get in bed now... You _might_ be allowed to do what you want tomorrow morning". He acted torn, as he added, "But on the other hand... Maybe it would be good for you to spend some time in here. With me. Possibly for a whole month; I've got things to plan, and I could use the time off". He winked flirtatiously.

She glared harder, then he interlocked his fingers, looking down. "Either you get in bed now, and you could _potentially_ go out tomorrow, or... You don't, and if I have to drag you here then you can forget about it". He raised a brow, and lifted his hand with the fingers splayed. "Tick tock, Em. Five." Five fingers up. "Four". Four fingers up.

She didn't know what he will do when it gets to zero, but she wasn't about to get up there with him right now; she was downright sick of him. She looked around for something she could use to defend herself.

" _Threee",_ he sing-songed behind her.

Her eyes locked on the open bathroom door.

She was just about to dash past him when she heard a quick:

"Two, one".

She flung her legs when strong, lean arms were around her middle, and lifting her up with them into the bed. She twisted around to get out from under the covers that were now over them both, to heck with just accepting that he will win a physical fight; she was mad. And so she tried to punch his chest, but he pressed her hard against him with her face in his chest. And all the good these movements did was shorten her breath, hurt her stomach, and give her a flushed face to compliment her already heated mood.

The Joker's paint-less face turned down to look at her pressed up against him with a scowl on her face, finding it oddly cute. He tilted his head, and gave a taunting smile. He wanted to push her further by saying, "What is this? Does my kitty have claws?"

Though that comment got her hackles up, she stopped fighting, and turned her head into the pillow, squeezing her eyes shut to fight off the burning pain she felt in her gut. When it seemed to gradually subside, she let out the breath she had been holding.

Looking up, she glared at him, and said in a strained, angry voice, "Fine". Her voice broke pathetically. "You win; I'll just stay in here forever, and shut up".

"That's all I ask", he barely got out through his chuckles.

She scoffed, annoyed at him to say the least, and closed her eyes as she said, "That is not all you want from me".

He looked at the ceiling for a moment, then looked back down to say to her, "You might be right about that".

He brushed the hair off her neck, and leaned down to place a wet kiss on the side of her neck. She inhaled audibly as he did this, and whispered a feeble, "D-don't". But he still felt that was progress from her flinching away from his touches.

On the subject of her obedience; aside from a moment ago when she refused to get into bed, she had been pretty good recently, and she actually did deserve to be let out. He had heard that staying in one room all day does things to a person. Not that he would mind if she changed a bit, but from what he knew of isolation she would lose all the aspects of her personality that he liked about her; her temper, and maybe even her smile. And he did NOT want that. So a compromise; he would lock certain parts of the warehouse off so she could only go in _certain_ rooms.

" _But Emily doesn't need to know that",_ he thought to himself with a devilish smirk as he turned to flick the lamp switch, plunging the room into inky darkness...

... Commissioner James Gordon sat at his desk in his office looking over the darkened city of Gotham while he rubbed his temple to alleviate his pounding headache that seemed to be never ending ever since that mass murdering clown had escaped from Arkham.

He sighed as he stood up from his chair, and glanced at all the other case files laying strewn across his desk. Things had been going well up to now even without Batman. At first Gordon had noticed that the Dark Knight would help with arresting a few criminals the first year after Dent died. But after that, he disappeared altogether, and he knew that Batman needed to hide from the GCPD to avoid arrest now that they were seriously hunting him, but something seemed off; he disappeared completely without a trace, like he was dealing with, or... _mourning_ something or some _one_.

The Commissioner picked up a particular file that had been sent to this police station all the way from New York; it was a missing person's file about a Emily Allen. Apparently she had come here to visit a friend a few weeks ago, and that friend seemed to have disappeared from the face of the earth. Gordon figured that she had either been killed, or kidnapped like this Emily probably was. This tugged at his heart because his Barbara was just some years younger than this girl. She was his only daughter same as the Allens'.

His thoughts turned back to Gotham's Dark Knight. " _We need you, Batman. Just one more time"._ Gordon needed him to again help in putting away this clown; when The Joker was demanding that the Batman show himself, the police Commissioner had secretly hoped that Batman would heed the call. But no matter how violent, and (if possible) more sadistic the Joker got, Batman still never showed himself. One of the reasons Gordon was working late was because he and his wife seemed to always be at odds, and this Joker situation that wasn't so different from three years ago didn't seem to help he and his wife's relationship issues.

And he didn't want the kids to see that, so he decided to go through ways of possibly luring, and capturing the Joker at the office instead of working from home; it was far more relaxing here. The Joker's sadism now that he was back out on the streets seemed to know no bounds; from killing the mayor during one of their new major holidays, to killing dozens of college kids, and blowing up random landmarks, then he would vanish for a few days, and reappear again like a ghost. It was like he really wanted everyone to always be on edge, and never know what was coming next.

Killer Croc was broken out of Arkham, and set loose in the sewers, and parks. They hadn't been able to catch the creature yet. There were other major criminals that were loose; Scarecrow was back; he was let out, and he was here. They only knew that from his victims he experimented on that were either found dead, with autopsy results showing high levels of fear toxin, or his more 'lucky' victims would be found curled up in the streets then needing to be sent to clinics after being driven insane. Then there were newer criminals in Gotham; a man who calls himself Riddler who kidnaps random people much like Jonathan Crane, but the difference was the Riddler seems to think he was fair to his victims by giving them a 'chance' to live if they could solve his difficult riddles for hints at getting through his maze, and more than half who were kidnapped by him never made it out. There were other lesser known, and less violent criminals out in Gotham wreaking terrible havoc. The police could only assume the Joker was involved in this somehow.

Gordon feared that he was close to winning this time; it was a horrible thought, but people were losing their homes, their children, their lives. And these citizens were having a hard time standing up for what is right, not that they were good at that before. The government certainly wasn't about to send them any sort of help. Altogether, it was an exceedingly demoralizing situation.

Would The Joker be stopped for good this time? Gordon didn't know, and he wasn't sure if he'd live long enough to find out...

... Emily was having a better time in the early morning than she thought she ever would have before being abducted.

Never having been an early morning person, the Joker usually got up before her everyday, and left her with a sandwich, and occasionally a new book to read for a few hours by herself, and she enjoyed that time to herself, and the peace she was able to derive from it. However, she made a point this morning to get up as early as possible before he got up, and wait for him to wake. When he finally did with a few mumbled words she watched him glance the bed over looking a bit confused. But when he saw her standing by the bed, his face smoothed, and he got up asking her what she was doing up so early.

She, and him spent at least an hour of arguing, threats, sexual innuendos, and snarling until finally he admitted that she had been fairly deserving of this, but she needed to wait for him to get ready before he showed her how to navigate this place. With that, he had gone into the bathroom, and stayed in there for fifteen minutes before reappearing as The Joker everyone feared and hated; war paint, purple and green suit, and in the process of shrugging into his overcoat and gloves.

Speaking of his gloves, she had noticed that he had more than a single pair of them, which she found odd. One pair was a lighter purple more like his coat, and they seemed more flexible than his other ones. The other pair she had seen was a darker, more bunched up type of leather, that was the color of a fresh bruise. And she felt she knew a lot about bruises lately. It was a strange thing to notice, but when there's only one person around for you to study, you notice little things like that. Though she would be the first to admit that she still had no idea what went through his head all the time. She didn't even know exactly why he kept her around, and since this was apparently her life now, she felt her life was void of purpose.

Once she was pulled out of her contemplating by him linking his arm with her's, and walking out the bedroom door with her, he began telling her how to go about finding her way through halls, rooms, and to be back in the bedroom at noon sharp. When she asked how she would know the time, he handed her a black wristwatch. Then he said he had 'important things' to do, so as much as he'd like to spend this time with her, he can't. Unbeknownst to him, she was eternally grateful for whatever things that kept him busy. Then after saying this, he kissed her head pressing hard as she stood completely still for it, and he departed stalking into the shadows with a quick laugh for no reason other than he's the Joker.

Now here she was, practically skipping as she immersed herself in the moment, trying hard to forget the hardships of these past... she didn't know how many days, surely it's only been days, and not weeks, right? She wished with all her might to see even a picture of her mom again, hear her voice over the phone. It was sad that this was all she had to hope for. She only allowed herself these thoughts of home when The Joker wasn't around; if she had these thoughts when he was in the immediate vicinity, she wouldn't be able to control an outburst she was sure would not be well received; she would probably be punished like last time she did something completely thoughtless.

She crossed her arms over her bandaged wound, and sighed when she felt her stomach make hunger noises. The Joker rarely, if ever, eats so it's hard to expect him to think of feeding someone else. But as she thought this, that's when she saw a huge closed door at the end of the hall.

" _He never specified_ exactly _where I could, and couldn't go",_ she thought with a small, rare smile.

She reached the handle, and to her shock found it to be unlocked unlike all the other doors in this place. With excitement fit for a three year old, she stepped through the door to a wide hallway that she felt vague familiarity with. Walking down it, she belatedly realized that this was the same hall that the Joker took her through to go into the kitchen this place had. As she thought of this, she heard some banging, and a little slamming from the direction she thought the kitchen was in.

Cautious, but determined she stepped towards the half open door where the sounds were originating from. When she was in front of it, she couldn't see all the way inside from where she stood, so she slowly opened it all the way, not thinking until it was too late that the person in here might not be friendly.

But there was nothing to worry about, for the sight inside made her laugh out loud a genuine, quiet laugh; Mikey, the kind, slightly chubby, handsome man she had met here was currently in the middle of making what looked to be omelettes. But that wasn't the funny part, what she found funny was the fact that he had egg yolk all over him, and in his hair somehow. It was funny since she hadn't seen anything legitimately amusing in a long while. Only things that the Joker found humorous, which definitely weren't to her.

Mikey turned from stirring at the stove with a surprised, deer-in-headlights look on his face. But once he saw who it was, he smiled back and waved as he said, "Hi! How've you been; I haven't seen you in a while?"

What an unintentionally loaded question, she realized as she stepped into the room and answered with a vague, "It's been.. interesting.. lately".

"Oh, well that's better than boring. Would you like to sit down?" He gestured to the empty table. "Here I've got quite a bit extra for you if you like eggs; you look dead on your feet".

Though he was only kidding, his words voiced how she felt on the inside sometimes; dead. Noticing that he was looking at her strangely since she was still standing there awkwardly, she hastily assured him she was alright, "No. Thank you, but I'd hate to impose".

"Nonesense", he scoffed. "I don't own this kitchen; you're welcome in here anytime". A wide, kind smile in her direction.

She felt socially unsure after just being around the Joker for so long, but the pull of speaking to another human being was too good to pass up, and not to mention her growling stomach; so she relented, and grabbed a chair, and gingerly sat down so not to strain her stitches.

Once she was sitting, a plate, and glass of water was set in front of her, and then Mikey had turned right back to the stove to get his.

Emily may have lost a little of the ability to have a flowing conversation, but she was aware enough not to stuff her mouth like a caveman. She waited for him to sit with her before she ate a bit at a time.

Once they were both nearly finished, she suddenly asked him, "So, would you like to explain yourself?"

He looked up, in a comically confused way, and said back, "Pardon me?"

She giggled, and gestured to his hair while saying, "Don't tell me you didn't know you had egg on your head. How'd it get there?"

He touched the now dried yolk, and said sheepishly, "Oh that. Ya se, I'm a regular klutz, and I left the mixture on the edge of the counter as I leant over to pick up my spoon I dropped before, and on the way down I knocked the bowl with my hand, and it fell.. onto my head". He finished matter of factly.

She smiled, and looked back at her food. But she looked up again when he said, "I finished the book by the way".

"Really? Bet you didn't finish as fast as me", she bantered good-naturedly. "Did you like it? I'm reading The Christmas Shoes right now, it's really good".

They started to talk of all the different books they had each read over the course of their lives, and they also talked about past pets, but Mikey was allergic to cats apparently. They spoke of different things, with unimportant topics for two whole hours until the conversation turned to something that had been nagging at Emily for a while now.

She rubbed her arm nervously, fearing the worst as she asked, "How is Kate? Is she around at all? I'd like to see her".

Mikey seemed to panic at first, but he quickly calmed his expression, and answered truthfully, "I mean she's been around lately, but to be honest.. I probably shouldn't even be talking to you right now".

She narrowed her eyes as she asked, "Why not?" Though she felt she knew the answer already.

He twiddled his thumbs like a child as he said in a rush, "The boss said for us to never speak, or even look at you unless you're trying to leave and we need to stop you".

She scoffed, though her voice shook as she said, "That's like him".

" _Evil, and controlling",_ she thought in quiet sadness. It was like he was always there, even when he wasn't. He was able to stop her from having contact with anyone else but him.

Mikey looked at her reproachfully. "Trust me; you don't want to cross him. Not for anything. He may be fond of you, but I'm sure he wouldn't think twice about doing something terrible, and I'd hate to see that happen to you. And don't worry; you have a friend in me". He smiled sadly.

When he mentioned the Joker doing something terrible to her, her hand automatically went to touch her wound, and she sadly realized he had already done something, and he could again.

"I'm sorry, but I've gotta go; I need to help the guys unload some supplies".

She looked up at him, and said, "It's fine. I'll see you around?"

He smiled a wide smile as he got up, and responded, "Of course. Bye!"

He stepped out the door, and just like that; she was alone again. She looked around and decided this room held no interest for her, so she gathered her dishes, and put them in the sink with all the others.

When she stepped in the hall again it was deathly quiet, it made her feel a bit uncomfortable. She shivered; it was chilly in here as well.

She he felt she was at a crossroads; she could go back to the bedroom where the Joker surely was? No, she wanted to explore some more. So having decided, she went right, and walked through many halls, into some bare rooms with nothing of interest in them, until she could not deny; she was lost. She tried to remember what the Joker had told her about this place, but she realized she had not been paying any attention; she'd been too excited to get out, that's she didn't hear a word!

She looked around, and couldn't decide on a direction, she looked at her watch, and it read 11:45.

" _I needed to be back by twelve! Oh I am dead, or worse",_ she thought despairingly to herself.

She chose to take the hall on the right, and ran down it. She quickly grew tired though, and had to stop. She angrily pounded a fist into the wall in frustration.

Then she heard something; wind whistling through a crack in a door. But that couldn't mean anything; this place looked old, surely it made whistling noises often. No way she coincidentally happened to be by the door that lead outside. That would be way too lucky for her.

But she followed the sound anyways, unable to resist the call of possible sunshine, and grass. She walked through a door that lead to a small hall... With a door at the end of it that had sun peeking under the crack! She walked as quickly as she could to the door, holding her aching side that still hurt from her sprinting earlier.

Once she reached the red wooden door she wasted no time opening it quickly, but squinting her eyes at the brightness. Wait, it was sunny with not a cloud in sight in Gotham City! She was stunned as she walked forward almost as if in a trance. She left the door open while she walked along the left side of the building to get a closer look at the glinting water in the distance. She wasn't that far from the door as she stopped to simply stare at the pretty body of water.

She had been standing there staring for all of five minutes when she decided she wanted a closer look. Taking her hand off her stomach, she took a step forwards, when suddenly _he_ was there. He slammed her against the brick building, scraping her back, and making her yelp in pain and fright.

She slowly looked into his painted face, though after she did she wished she hadn't; he looked murderous with his eyes black, and narrowed to slits, and his blood red scarred mouth set in a snarling grimace.

She was already quivering like a leaf, but when he spoke, she jumped, and would have gotten off the ground if his hands weren't pressing down on her shoulders pining her in place.

It was like his voice was the calm before the storm as he ground out in a low voice that still managed to be nasally, "And, uh, just _where_ do you think _you're_ going, hm?"

His face didn't look like he cared exactly what the answer was; the consequences would be the same. But she felt she needed to hastily say, "J-just to look at the water... You said I could explore".

"I be-lieve I told you to _ask me_ beforehand. Did. I. No **t**?" His leather-clad fingers tightened.

"I got lost, so you weren't there when I needed to ask". She said helplessly closing her eyes against the humiliating tears, fearing the worst.

All of a sudden, his hands disappeared, and she heard an exasperated, "Come on; back inside".

She opened her eyes to see him holding out a hand. Wondering absently when she had become so obedient, she placed her hand in his, and let him lead her back inside. She looked back at the golden tinted water, and planted her heels to slow them down, saying quietly, "But, couldn't I go out here sometime?" She slowly raised her eyes from his clown-like shoes, to his skeptical face. "You could take me..."

She felt him grasp her chin painfully to tilt her face up at his as he looked deep in her eyes searching for deceit. He smiled a yellow toothed smile then, and said mischievously, "You want me to take you? How flattering".

Internally she glared at him, but externally she merely nodded her head as best she could since he was still holding her face.

"Why the sudden need to be around my wonderful self more?" He cocked his head, licking his lips. Then he released her jaw.

Of course there was no answer to that because it wasn't true, and he knew it, so she simply shrugged in response, looking at the ground and thinking of happier things than homicidal clowns.

Apparently he felt the need to pour lemon juice in her cut, as evidence by the next words out of his mouth, "I think a sunny, firework filled afternoon date is a _great_ idea. And I'm sure mommy would be proud of your taste in men". He had the nerve to laugh after saying that.

She wrenched her hand free, and turned to stomp inside like the teen she was. How dare he bring up her mother that she missed horriblly everyday.

He wasn't about to let her off that easily as he reached a long arm to grasp her arm and pull her back into his embrace as he kissed her again, parting, and tasting her lips as he said is now a part of their agreement to be 'comfortable' with each other. Though it didn't make her more comfortable around him. If anything, she was more scared by this; always worried he would take it a step further.

He pulled away first as usual since she never dared move until he was done. And still holding her arm, he smiled like he was viciously excited about something, and pulled her with him quickly back inside as he said, "Lets go. We, my _dearrr,_ have places to be". She felt the dread pool in her stomach as she was sure he had something big, and very bad in mind for today...

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 **Hooray for long chapters! I'm so excited to get into some EXCITING stuff in later chapters!**

 **Thank you to EVERYONE who favorited/followed this story! I'm so happy about you guys that I can name every one of you. But I'm really tired right now, so I'm not going to name you all.**

 **Thank you, awesome reviewers!**

 **AidansQueen, about your thoughts on what Joker did to Emily; I may or may not be lying when I say; "Man! Wish I'd thought of that!" ;-) thanks for the awesome, totally not rambling review!**

 **BunnyMermaid, thanks for making me feel bad for not updating yesterday:'( I felt so sad, but you gave me the push to finish it today. Seriously, it was you who got me to do it! I'll take some virtual sweet tarts candy by the way! And in the words of Rhett and Link; Thank You For Making This A Part Of Your Daily Routine!**

 **.52, thank you for the kind, motivational review! It means a lot.**

 **And thanks to beladesirine! You're great!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: read chapter 2**

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"Charlie-boy, I knew I could count on you! Don't disappoint me though. Or. Else- _uh"._ The Joker snapped the cellphone shut, and turned to address the rest of his goons standing in the large warehouse room right by the buildings' front door.

Emily watched with a growing sense of dread while the Joker outlined the plan that was about to take place; they had a mole in the police Commissioner's unit, and he will tell them exactly where, and when to enter the building, how many people are on each floor that need to be taken out, evidently this was most important; where Gordon would be. The Joker apparently wanted him out of office... For good.

What would happen if the chief of police was dead? She vaguely recalled the former Commissioner being killed by the Joker three years ago, and then Gordon took his place. So what would the Joker accomplish by doing the same thing? Well she will find out eventually no matter how much she didn't want to.

Speaking of unwanted things; she felt a large, gloved hand on her shoulder squeezing it hard as the owner of the hand asked loudly, "Any questions? No? Good! Now you!" He pointed with his other hand at some red haired, short, and skinny guy who glanced behind himself, and pointed to his chest asking weakly, "M-me?"

"Yes, you", the Joker growled irritably. "Take _this girl here"._ Another squeeze on her shoulder. "To the _van,_ and wait for me". He released her shoulder as the skinny guy walked over to them, and gestured for her to follow. And once she did walk with him towards the door, the Joker called again, "And, another thing". They both turned back apprehensively. The Joker pointed at the other man and growled, "Don't. Let her. Out of. Your _sight"._

Though his tone made them both flinch a little, she was very determined to not let his warning hinder her plans of escape while they were out; she did not want to see the blood-bath she was fairly sure would ensue. She thought of the mayor's death, the Police Commissioner's possible demise, and the fate of Gotham. She didn't particularly care that much about this place since it wasn't even her true home, no, she was far more worried for herself seeing as the person who could very well be in control of Gotham in a very short time just happened to be her captor. And quite possibly today might be the day in this battle of good vs evil that the fate of this city will be decided. And if Evil won...she was certain she would never escape this nightmare.

She and the man stopped at the van, and he opened the door for her to get in first, and as she did so she glanced behind her when she heard a gunshot coming from inside the building behind them. She wondered what on earth that was about? Did the Joker really kill off one of his men? That would be crazy. Wait. Who was it she was thinking about here? He _is_ crazy, so him doing something like that is not inconceivable.

The man beside her gave an annoyed sigh at her standing there and not immediately getting in. She threw him a scowl in response, and hurried inside sitting as far down the seat by the window as she could. She held her achy stomach, and watched with her head against the window as the other man shut the door, and climbed into the drivers seat.

Wanting to have someone to talk to right now, she asked the man, "Hey, what's your name?..mine's Emily". She didn't smile as she said this, but she didn't care about manners right now.

The guy sighed again, and said back gruffly, "Look, kid, I know your name already; everyone does. Let's not talk, alright? The boss will probably gut any of us who talks to you in his presence".

"He's not here right now..."

He turned in his seat to glare at her, but after witnessing many of Joker's terrifying looks, his was not nearly as scary so she just stared back with an even, persistent look on her face. He exhaled, still frowning as he said, "You're not going to drop this, are you?" She shook her head firmly. He gave a breathy chuckle before he got comfortable in his seat and said in a rush to get this over with, "Nice to meet you, Emily. I'm Josh".

She gave a barely noticeable half smile, and said in response, "Thanks, it's nice to meet you too". He nodded briefly. She yawned a bit, remembering that she's not a morning person, and she had gotten up very early this morning, so she brought an arm up to prop her head on and closed her eyes trying to set her mind on positive, glass half-full kind of dreams...

... When she awoke, she was in the same position as before, and she could hear voices right outside the van. Curious as to who they belonged to, and since she was alone in the car, she slid across the seat to the sliding door, and once it opened she was staring at the back of one of Joker's thugs as they stood in a semi-circle reloading, talking, and readying their guns in an abandoned alleyway.

It took her a minute to remember exactly where, and what they were doing, and when she did she felt terror claw its way up her throat; what would the city do with no police force? Now that they supposedly (she's assuming he's dead) had no mayor any longer, would this city implode? Will the Joker kill any of their prospective mayor candidates? Speaking of the clown, where was he?

She analyzed the dozen or so goons in front of her for the familiar dark-eyed, green haired man but he seemed conspicuously absent. She wondered where he could be as she stepped out of the van to stand nearer to these people. One of the men, a large muscly man that she felt some familiarity with, glanced at her suspiciously like he was expecting her to make a run for it, and he was gearing up to chase her. But truthfully she was still too exhausted, and her insides ached too much for her to do much more than lean against the van and simply observe as she waited for something to happen.

Everyone gathered in the ally didn't have to wait long before they heard some close by talking, and laughing right outside the opening to where they were, making some of the goons raise their weapons in anticipation. And as the sound neared, Emily slunk to the other side of the car, putting the thugs between her, and whoever these newcomers were. And as the sound got to right outside their ally, everyone tensed, but this was a pointless reaction as the people rounding into the ally were none other than Scarecrow mask and all, the Joker, and... Kate! Emily was so excited to see her alive before her eyes; she had worried that maybe the Joker had killed her for no reason other than he's insane.

Staring solely at her friend, she was about to move from her hiding place behind the car, when a voice said quietly, and very creepily behind her, "Wha **t** are you doing back here, E _milyy?"_

Whirling around, she stared in confusion at the war painted clown staring at her quizzically. " _How did he get behind me without me noticing?",_ she wondered to herself, then realized he had asked a question, and was waiting for her response with his arms crossed over his chest.

Since there was no reason to lie, she stated truthfully, "I was scared".

He smiled in amusement, and reached for her arm to grab it and pull her closer as he said back, "You should be, you _need_ someone to watch out for you with all the crazies around". He grinned mischievously at her.

She frowned as she stated matter of factly, "The main crazy around here is you".

He raised a painted brown as he said in a mocking voice, "All the more reason to get on my good side... **if** I, uh, _had_ one". He burst out into gibbering chuckles that made her skin crawl listening to it.

He calmed himself after a minute, and looked at everyone pretending not to notice their exchange, and at Scarecrow with his arms folded in an impatient manner, before the Joker grabbed a walkie talkie from his coat pocket, and brought it to his lips asking into it, "Everything all set, then?"

The thing squawked back, " _Affirmative; Gordon is alone in his office, and everyone else is in the main room by the holding cells, sir"._

The Joker smiled widely, pressing the button again saying back, "Be ready; we'll be up in a few minutes". He turned it off, and tossed it to the side as he said to everyone around him, with glee clear in his eyes and voice, "A _lllrighty,_ gang; you know what to do. Be quiet, be fast, this shouldn't take _too_ long". Everyone apart from Crane nodded to his orders, and quickly scurried ahead of them into the building next to them through the side door.

Scarecrow looked at Joker through his mask's eyeholes, and Emily could hear the smirk in his voice as he said, "Time to gas this place". She watched in worry as he slid his hand into his gray suit's pocket to pull out a remote with a button, and when he slowly pressed it that is when clear panicking shrieks of pure terror, and hysteria could be heard inside the building.

" _Did they find a way to get Crane's fear toxin into the ventilation system? They must have!",_ she thought to herself while also thinking about these people, and if they were given a strong enough dose to kill them all.

She was still thinking about those poor people inside, so she wasn't paying very much attention when the Joker stepped in front of her, and held her biceps tightly with a semi-serious look on his face for once. "The big boys need to handle some... _business_ without little girls getting in the way, so you're gunna stay. Out. Here. Un-der-stand?" He raised his painted brows, and though she was confused she still glared at him and nodded her head.

"Good, because if you even _think-uh_ about running off, I'll know". He smiled widely, and patted her left cheek before he turned on his heel, and went inside the same way his thugs went. She stood stunned for a moment, thinking she was alone. With that in mind, she turned towards the ally opening, and stepped forward to walk towards it as fast as she could, but Scarecrow stepped out from around the van, blocking her escape route. She halted, in her tracks as she stared the creepy mask down, hearing him chuckle slightly though not as creepily as Joker still made her hairs on her arms stand on end as she stared at him.

" _Just great; he left me with a babysitter",_ she fumed to herself. " _If I can't escape right now, I'm going to figure out what's going on at least"._

She opened her mouth as she stared at Crane's ice blue eyes, and said, "What are we doing here exactly? It's not like telling me would change anything".

He cocked his head a little, and stepped towards her asking coldly, "He didn't tell you, huh?" Not waiting for her biting response to be voiced, he continued, "I'm not surprised, though I do find it a bit odd that he cares to tell you anything".

Clearly he's talking down to her, and she did not like that. She asked again through gritted teeth, "What. Are we. Doing here?"

"Got an attitude on you, don't you?"

He wants to be annoying, well two can play that game, is what she thought as she said her next words with fake innocence, "Actually, I'm just curious about what _you_ are doing here mostly". She shrugged her shoulders pretending not to care. "After all.. everyone knows you're not exactly.. How do I say this?.. Up to par with the level that The Joker is at when it comes to criminal acts".

Her words had the desired effect; his thin shoulders were bunched, and his fists were balled up as he spitted out, "I will have you know that Joker couldn't do this scheme today without _my_ generous assistance! So keep your little thoughtless mutterings to yourself, girl!"

Now time to fake admiration, which would be tough for her; she thought very little of these sickos, but she was going to try to get this information out of him, so she said politely, "But if the Joker needs your help today, then what are you contributing, and what is he that you need both of you to do it?"

He seemed to narrow his eyes at her for a moment, and she just looked back with the straight expression still on her face. He sighed through his mask, and it sounded like leaves rustling as he stated, "No reason not to tell you I suppose". He paused as if to gather his thoughts, and then he said, "The Joker, I must admit, is a clever bastard, but he has one fault in my opinion; he thinks too much about the Batman, and finds him to be like us. So when the flying rodent disappeared he stayed in Arkham with the rest of us there, talking none sense about what will happen with him, and 'bats' when he gets out again, and how much 'fun' we'll all have". Scarecrow snorted disdainfully. "So you might imagine that when he escaped again about a year ago that he was more than a little put off by this turn of events with the Batman gone. I was still locked up in Arkham when he went full on with trying to get the Batman back out on the streets, and from what I understand, the rest of us rogues tried to have little to nothing to do with him, partly because he may be arguably the most intimidating of us all, but also because the rest of us _despise_ that flying rat".

His fists clenched again, and he took some breaths to calm himself before he continued in a clipped tone, "Only just a few months ago did he switch gears from Batman to something... Or some _one_ else". She could feel his knowing look, but she ignored it, trying to focus on this information. "That's when he found us at Riddler's hideout with you; we were discussing what needed to be done about Joker's madness. It could destroy us as well if we let it, but he and Edward have always been about as close as Joker can get with someone, so he must have tipped the clown off about our meeting so that he could get us all together to discuss his 'plan' for this city". He held a finger up as he said, "That, is where today's happenings come into play; with the mayor gone, and this city in turmoil without the Bat they thought they didn't need, right about now Joker's men have possession of the beloved Commissioner's wife, and children as Joker is undoubtedly threatening to kill them if he does not step down as Commissioner, and leave this city to the dogs. And yes; I supplied some of my toxins for this event to help in dealing with the other cops on certain levels of this place. Pretty soon, we shall rule this city". By 'we' she was sure he meant all the villains.

She was extremely scared upon hearing this, and she asked one more question, "Why threaten Gordon? Why not just kill him and get it over with?" Not that she wanted him dead, she just didn't understand this at all.

Crane answered her, "What would killing him prove? That we can walk into any building we want and shoot it up? Of course we can, but think of what making the head of police step down means; power. Power over the choices this city's supposed _protectors make_ ". He seemed incredibly excited by this, while it only made her feel sick.

Clutching her stitches, and her suddenly burning stomach, she felt she was getting a stomach ulcer from stress so she asked quietly, "C-can I sit in the van.. please?"

He shrugged, staring at the building as he said back, "I do not see what trouble you could cause in there; so go ahead, what's stopping you?"

She held in a sarcastic remark, and stepped up to slide back to where she fell asleep earlier to try doing the same thing; she closed her eyes to try escaping this unreal reality, but the pain was becoming too much for her; quickly opening her eyes, she put her head between her legs as she waited for this nausea to subside, praying that it would soon.

Completely consumed in her pain, and the pounding in her head, she jumped slightly in surprise as she felt a light touch on her shoulder. She turned her head to see Kate sitting beside her in a black outfit with a black eye to match.

Immediately concerned, Emily quickly asked her, "Are you alright?"

Kate raised a brow in response, and gave Emily a side hug as she said, "I could ask you the same thing".

Emily hastily shrugged it off, not wanting to go into details, "It's just a headache, and a little nausea". She flinched, and held her stomach tighter as she wheezed out, "I'm s-sure it'll pass".

Kate frowned, and with motherly tenderness, touched her forehead as she said worriedly, "You're burning up, Emily".

Not to be deterred from her previous question, Emily ignored Kate's remark, and touched her friend's face where the bruise was, asking, "Did that happen just now, or... did _he_ do that to you?"

Kate sighed, and pulled Emily's hand away as she said, "It doesn't matter right now". Turning their heads at hearing the gunshots inside, Kate got up to move into the backseat from the middle seat as she said, "He'll be out in a minute, just relax and I'll try and get you some Advil later".

Blinking tiredly, and sad that they needed to stop talking, Emily said quietly, "T-thank you,". Not even thinking, she added, "Love you, Kate".

At length there was a whispered, "I love you too, Emily".

Emily's smiled, and leaned her head against the wall, but before she could relax completely, the calm atmosphere was broken by the door on the side of the building next to them opening fast, and slamming into the wall next to it with the Joker walking down the steps, and leaping off the last three, with his goons not too far behind. They all had happy expressions on their faces, and Emily watched as the Joker skipped to the van, and leapt inside shaking the van with his momentum as he slid next to her, and put his arm around her shoulders while everyone else piled in with Scarecrow absent from the bunch, once everyone was in, the sliding door slid shut, and they sped away though there was no reason to; nobody was following them.

It was so much more hot to Emily with the Joker's body heat next to her, made worse by his arm on her shoulders, and the goons smells of sweat, and exhaled breaths. She felt so disgusted, and she wished she could stand outside to breathe the fresh air, and be free of the Joker's presence for a little longer so she pushed lightly on his side, wishing he would listen; she felt like she was suffocating.

As she pushed him, she asked quietly, "Why didn't you just leave me behind? Why did I have to come at all?"

She raised half open eyes to his face when she heard a wet rasping sound, and then his sigh. "What have I said about questioning me, hm?" He put both arms around her then, pulling her close. "B _uuut_ if you _must_ know.. You're here today because I dont, uh, trust you by yourself just yet".

She scowled, and slowly laid her head tiredly against his chest while saying, "That's ridiculous. You could've just locked the door, and left me there by myself for a little while". She felt she was becoming delirious; everything was fuzzy, and all she could hear was her heartbeat pounding in her ears.

Feeling him shift a bit beneath her head, she stuttered out, "Couldn't we just sit next to each other instead of like this?" She didn't have the strength to push away anymore, so she decided on voicing her annoyance.

She felt the vibration in his chest as he giggled, and said through his giggles, "Well here's the answer to both of your pointless questions; why would I want to do either of those things? Then I'd be deprived of your _love-ly_ company".

He likes her _company? Ugh._ There's really no dissuading him, she came to realize as her eyes closed again, and despite the overwhelming heat she felt, she still fell into a dreamless sleep...

... Waking with an inflamed, cramping stomach, chills, and a horrible nause forced her to dash off the bed, stumbling a bit as she ran into the bathroom to empty all the bile in her into the toilet; she held onto the rim as her body heaved uncontrollably. She leaned back to look into the now even dirtier toilet while she waited for the rest of the cramps to go away; heaving made her feel a bit better, but she still felt terrible and had no idea how to make herself feel okay again. Getting up on weak, shaky legs she walked back to the bed, and slid under the covers as she felt hot, but her shivering was so intense it made her teeth chatter.

Belatedly, she looked around her for a certain someone who appeared to not be here at the moment, which suited her just fine. Annoyingly as she was getting comfortable, she felt an itch deep in her chest, and putting a hand over the area she cleared her throat, when that didn't work, she sat up and coughed a tiny cough, then she felt a burning building higher and higher until she had to lean over the bed to cough for a solid three minutes until it went away slightly, but left her throat raw, and irritated.

She groaned as she lay back, and when she did she was hit suddenly with yearning; a yearning for her mother who used to stay by her side through these bouts of sickness, and now that she thought of her, Emily curled on her side to face the door as she cried at the thought of her mom. And as she did this, a person who didn't resemble her mother whatsoever waltzed into the room, slamming the door behind him as he whistled something she'd never heard before... A circus tune? Whatever he was doing, she hoped he'd leave her alone to recuperate.

Of course, hoping for something to not happen that most likely would anyways, just gave you false hope she realized as The Joker turned to her after setting his jacket on the desk. Cocking his head, and licking his lips quickly, he strolled over to sit right next to her as she stared up at him in exhaustion.

He raised his eyebrows as he said to her, "I could hear you from all the way outside, you know". He paused, as if waiting for acknowledgement from her, and when none came he asked exasperatedly, "Sooo what's wrong ex-actly, hm?"

"Isn't it obvious?" She asked, finally fed up with his pretending to be oblivious. "I'm sick!" The yell cost her, as she curled tighter while coughing her guts out.

Once the cough subsided the Joker noticed that she was shivering violently, and a thought popped into his head, and with a mischievous light in his eyes he asked her innocently, "Do you know what will _definitely_ make you all better?"

Suspicious, but feeling terrible she asked him, "What?"

He grinned cheekily, and said back as if it was the greatest idea ever, "Me giving you a hot bath of course!"

Her eyes widened beyond the point of further expansion, and her mouth opened and closed like a fish as she finally snarled out, "Like hell that'll ever happen".

His red mouth smiled wider if that were possible as he asked politely, "Oh, I thought you'd like a bath?"

"Not from you!"

He reached to pet her head as he explained in a reasonable tone of voice, "Well, ya see; there really isn't anyone else to help you, and what if you pass out from your, uh, sickness and drown as a result of neglect on my part?" He put his other hand over his chest as he shook his green head of hair. "No, that just wouldn't work at all, so I'll go get that ready for you". He ruffled her hair, before standing up, and turning to the bathroom.

"Jerk", she mumbled to herself.

He stopped, and looked over his shoulder at her in warning as he asked, "What was that, _sweetie?"_

Pulling the covers over her for protection she said back with overly fake sweetness, "Nothing, just thinking out loud". She gave him a forced smile, and he just shrugged and turned back towards the bathtub.

As fast as her illness would allow, she slid off the bed while keeping an eye on the open bathroom door, and ran to the bedroom door to check if he had locked it. He hadn't. She smiled in victory as she opened the door and ran out, though frustratingly, she stumbled, and fell on her knees a mere few paces down the hall. Not looking back, she quickly scrambled up to run again, when she felt an intense heat in her gut area forcing her to double over, completely vulnerable as she waited it out, and when it finally ended she never got the chance to continue running as she heard a voice say behind her at the same time as two hands grabbed under her armpits, "What do we have here? You don't like baths this much, huh? You must've been a very difficult child".

Whil he pulled her back, she was still experiencing stomach pains, so she merely growled at him, "What do you know about kids? You probably never had a family; more like you were hatched out of an egg. Now let go!"

He snickered, and pinched her lightly as he said in response, "An egg? Really? You have a wild imagination... not a very good trait if you think about it". She exhaled angrily in response.

She allowed him to pull her until they reached the steamy bathroom with the faucet still running, and where he let go and stood there with his arms crossed and an expectant look on his face.

She glared, and stated, "I'm not doing it, I'd rather lick a toilet seat".

He smiled evilly at her and reached to grip the bottom of her shirt, saying excitedly, "I had no idea you liked it better if I did it for you, well now that I know". And he pulled the shirt right off and over her head as she stumbled back to cross her arms and cover herself, losing her brave facade fast.

Her faced flushed a tomato red as she refused to meet his eyes, and merely looked at her feet until she heard him speak again, "Now how about the bottoms?"

He stepped towards her, and she immediately skittered back into the wall as she said hastily, "No, please. I can do it myself". She looked down again, expecting him to go ahead with it anyways.

His response stunned her when he sang, " _O-kaaay._ But hurry it up".

She looked up, and watched him take out a bloody knife and begin cleaning it, she didn't know when, and how it got bloody, but she didn't really want to anyways. Realizing she was staring, and that she needed to hurry, she quickly took off her pants, and stepped in, he didn't say anything about underwear, so she kept them on, and wasn't about to take them off for anything.

After she was settled, she was doused with a river of water, making her sputter, and cough some more as she looked up to see the Joker with a cup, and some men's soap in his hand smiling like the devil she considered him to be.

She glared up at him, and asked, "What was that about?"

He raised a painted brow as he asked, "You do know how _baths_ work, right?" He sat on the edge of the tub to pour soap in her hair as he said, "You can't get all the way, uh, clean if you don't wash your hair". She held in a remark about the state of his hair.

It was like she was a pet to him that had gone outside in the mud and gotten too dirty; the way he was treating her made her skin crawl, and she wished she could disappear from this position she was in of having to rely on him for everything from sustenance, bodily hygiene, and even... comfort. It was sad, and she hoped that maybe it would change eventually. And come to think of her vulnerable position in only her bra and underwear; why hadn't he taken any liberties yet? There was no one around to stop him, she certainly couldn't, and he had already done horrific things before so it's not like he would tarnish his reputation.

Then, it hit her; a realization that (to her) made the most sense, and was something she felt she struggled with all her life, " _I'm not good enough to be wanted that way"._ A tear welled up, and pooled over her cheek mixing with the bath water. It wasn't even that she wanted the Joker to try anything, she simply felt what most teen girls felt; a level of unworthiness. She didn't feel anyone wanted her, or that anyone ever would.

So lost in her thoughts was she, that she didn't feel the Joker finish rinsing her hair, nor did she pay attention to him pulling her up, drying her off, and handing her the nightdress to put on. It was only when she heard muffled words that she looked up, and said to him stupidly, "Huh?"

He sighed loudly, and repeated slowly like he was speaking to an idiot, "I _said-uh,_ do you want to stand here all night shivering, or do you want to get in bed with me now?"

Though she felt pain in her heart and body at the moment she couldn't help herself but to say, "I have a choice? Then I'd like to sleep on the floor. By myself".

His eyes narrowed, and he said chillingly, "Allow me to rephrase; you will put this on," he shoved the fabric into her hands. "And then you will get in bed with me, and you will do it with a smile on that, uh.. _cute_ little face of yours". He smirked, and pinched her cheek at the end. "Now, smile".

She slowly lifted the corners of her mouth just enough to make it look real, and he licked his lips, and grinned cheekily in response while she quickly pulled on the outfit, and then he yanked her into the bedroom again, and stopped them in front of the bed as he stared at her intensely.

Still feeling the embarrassment, and sadness from her earlier thoughts made her feel all the more naked under his dark gaze, and she fidgeted, waiting for him to get on with whatever he was going to do already, and as she waited a thought occurred to her then, one she felt she had to ask.

She opened her mouth, and rasped through her flaming throat, "H-how old... are you?"

She dared a sideways glance at his still, purple-clad figure, as he reached to brush the hair off her neck, and answered at length, "Hmm... 30, 31 give or take".

His fingers brushed her neck, though she whirled around, gasping as she said, "This is wrong!" She fought back the itching coughs that were clawing their way up her throat; she had to stay focused.

His eyes widened comically in exaggerated surprise. "You mean there's something more wrong I've done that is worse than everything else?" He plopped onto the bed, and gestured his hand at her as if to pull the words out of her mouth. "By all means, tell me. I'm, uh, dy-ing to know".

Her eyes saddened, and she whispered, "I'm only 18. Do you even care? I had a life before you that I'd like to return to; my books, my friends (okay that may be a lie, but I can still make some), possibly college, a-and.." She almost couldn't finsih, as she chocked out, "My mom... I miss her. Please, I'll give you anything".

She watched teary eyed as he stood directly in front of her with a wicked smile on his face as he cupped her chin in his large warm hand and asked, "You really think I care about your ideas of what a couple is? And you've got your whole life to forget about those 'parents'" he said that with clear distaste. "That only hold you back, and in a few years they'll be dead-uh! Maybe sooner if you do something to really irritate me though". He growled, then cocked his head, changing the subject as he said, "Have I ever told you that you're a little cuter when you beg?" He pulled her closer by her face, and said suggestively, "And about you doing any-thing.. Did you really mean tha **t**?"

She was about to nod, but he could see the real answer clear in her eyes; she wouldn't really give him anything, she was just desperate to get out of this crazy world, and she shook off his hand saying, "Stop it, please I just, I-I.. " her eyes suddenly rolled back into her head, and she fell against a startled Joker who grabbed her shoulders and tried to straighten her, and look into her eyes, but they were closed, and her breath was coming, and going in labored, wheezing exhales. The Joker frowned, and held her in one arm while he put his other hand over her forehead, and when he did, he had to admit; she was burning up.

He sighed, and lifted her up to slide her under the covers, and sat next to her as he stared at her pale face with flushed cheeks, dry lips, and closed eyelids. He ran a hand over her forehead almost tenderly as he contemplated what to do about her condition, because even he had to admit; she was very sick, and would this affect his plans for her? He was going to find out...

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 **The ONLY reason this chapter might seem all over the place is because.. Get ready for it... In the middle of writing I had to stop to catch THE BIGGEST FRICKIN' BLACK WIDOW SPIDER I HAVE EVER SEEN! So yeah, my brain is a bit frazzled right now.**

 **THANK YOU FOLLOW/FAVORITERS! YOU GUYS ARE GREAT!**

 **THANKS AWESOME REVIEWERS:**

 **AidansQueen: Thanks for EVERYTHING! I wish everyone reviewed the way you do! Don't ever change!**

 **beladesirine: Thank you for your kindness, and inspiration, that makes me sooo happy!**

 **BunnyMermaid: Thanks for being my first actually legitimately EXCITED reviewer, and I hope you like this chapter... Seriously; I really really hope I didn't disappoint you:O!**

 **guest: I like your suggestions, and I've known from the beginning exactly what I wanted him to do to he, but you'll just have to wait for the reveal;)**

 **other Guest: Thanks for the kind compliment!**

 **Ella: I like you. Review again please!**

 **Eemmah: Uhhh... Lol, if never compare myself to the one true God, but I thank you sincerely for your kindness, and liking my story. Have an awesome night/day!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: read chapter 2**

 **beladesirine, AidansQueen; you guys wanted jealous Joker? You'll get him... Sooner than you think;) And if anyone has specific things they'd like to see, PM me with them and I'll for sure take them into consideration.**

 **I'm really tired right now so know this: THANK YOU AWESOME FOLLOWERS, FAVORITERS, AMAZING REVIEWERS! You're all so great, and if I didn't unfortunately need sleep, I'd give you all a huge heartfelt note!**

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Fighting through the fog in her subconscious proved to be a near impossible task as she tried to stay above the drowning haze in her mind, and focus on what was happening outside of her body, but all she could seem to comprehend, or feel was a burning pain in her stomach, and extreme difficulty breathing. She felt dim familiarity with these sensations of pain... But from where? Then a memory surfaced in her mind's eye as she beheld a little girl that she recognized as herself, with a grown woman that was her mother standing next to her sick child. Yes, that was it; the week she had something worse than the flu, and it worried her mother to death.

Her mother. The more she dwelled on the memories, she felt a little more aware of what was happening to her, and as she focused on outer happenings, she felt the warmth, and movement of someone next to her, and they were very close. Welcoming any comfort, and thinking this was a friend, or her mom nearby, she opened her unfocused eyes only to come across blurs, and smudges... and lots of purple. Strange. She couldn't remember her mother wearing purple very often.

Still, she reached a hand towards this person, and when they clasped her hand in theirs, she weakly curled next to them, and wrapped her arms around their body to lay her cheek on them as she muttered, "You're here... Stay with me?... please".

She felt a hand come up and to her it was very comforting as they started rubbing her cold back. It was enough for her as she fell back asleep, her body's way of fighting off infection...

... The Joker had been laying in the bed for a while after Emily had passed out, simply staring at her next to him with his hands behind his head, and an unreadable expression on his face as he watched her chest rise and fall in short, quick pants.

He had been thinking about what to do now that she was acting like this; he could take her to a real doctor, but that would of course bring up all sorts of problems, he already knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was _not_ going to simply get rid of her just because she was a little under the weather. He liked having her around, he liked being the one to grant, or withhold things from her, he liked... _Kissing_ her. It was an odd feeling to have these desires towards her, but he couldn't help it; he was a man after all, and she was a...rather attractive.. girl. Gah, now he was sounding like Riddles. Shaking his head of that thought, he considered the fact that that's not all he took pleasure in about her; her attitude, her fire, her passion for things she felt worthy of it. So, in his mind that settled it; he would be the one to treat her, since he wasn't going to just let her die. It might be irritating at times, especially since his plan for the city was going so swimmingly, it was annoying to be distracted.

As he was about to get up to grab Mikey and demand he do something about her, he paused, and looked at the girl laying next to him when she started wiggling, and mumbling unintelligible things; he scooted closer with his head cocked, curious as she rolled onto her side facing him, and lifted her head shakily, opening her eyes a bit he could tell she wasn't focused on anything; her half open eyes kept flicking back and forth, and not settling. Out of nowhere, after her mumbling had subsided, she reached a hand towards him with a pained look on her face. Curious as to what she would do, he grasped her hand in his, and watched slightly surprised when she gave him a smile in response, he was even more shocked when she pulled herself slowly next to him, and wrapped her thin arms around his torso.

He sat against the headboard not exactly sure what to do; no one had _ever_ in his life given him a _hug._ Not even as a child could he remember his sick mother, and drunk father ever embracing him. It felt so... desired, but he didn't necessarily feel that he _needed_ it. Only that it felt.. nice. He growled slightly to himself at not knowing what to do, when his thoughts were broken by her saying three words he never thought he would hear from her:

"Stay with me".

And for the first time in his adult life, he found himself undeniably speechless. He didn't know what to do, or say. Those words had been muttered amidst other sounds from her mouth, but those three words had been the only ones he could make out, and he found himself truly stunned. And deciding the only natural next thing to do would be to touch her in return. So he put a hand on her back to start rubbing circles over it, and taking the opportunity to feel the bony, thin, and muscular planes of her back where goosebumps had spread all over because she had the chills. Unthinking, he pulled the blanket over her hips, then stopped and internally cursed himself for being so.. _nurturing_ all of a sudden.

He stopped rubbing her back, choosing instead to just stared at her face that still held a slight smile, and brushed the sweaty hair off of her forehead, in slight wonder at the softness of her hair and skin. And as he stared at her, he came to a conclusion that he felt he had always known, but right now seeing her so frail, vulnerable, and tiny this thought had been brought to the forefront of his mind; he felt incredibly.. _Protective of her._ He was a little surprised at himself that it wasn't just possession over her that he felt (thought he certainly could admit he did). No; it was also a feeling, a _need_ to keep her from any other man, or even any danger other than himself. He wanted her. And for himself only. He felt that she would someday warm up to him, even though he didn't exactly need her to feel comfortable around him to get what he wants. He wasn't a particularly patient human being, and he wouldn't just wait forever for her to make up her mind about him. He didn't care if she wanted it or not; she was stuck with him until he said otherwise. Which was highly unlikely seeing as if he has something he wants, then there's no going back.

He pried her arms off from around him and got up to fetch Mikey since he's supposed to know about how to deal with sickly people, but he stopped to look back down at her with a frown as he wondered if something might happen to her while he was gone, but that notion was squashed without a second thought, instead replaced with cold, irritability as he adjusted his coat, and stepped out to fulfill his original objective.

Opening the door, he came face to face with his oldest recruit; Katie. She was in the middle of bending over to set what looked like medicine on the floor, but stopped and stared at him evenly with only a hint of fear unlike his other goons; they were either cowering in his presence or in flat out awe, the latter of the two he didn't really care for, it was fear that sent a thrill of excitement through him.

And as the female older than him stood before him calmly, he felt mildly annoyed when he decided on asking her the appropriate question, "Is there, uh, any _par-tic-ularrr_ reason you're standing outside my bedroom door with..." He grabbed the bottle out of her hand, inspecting it as he continued, "Ad-vil in your hands? Hm?" He prompted.

He could see the barest of irritation on her face while she answered him in a clipped tone, "I was simply bringing that for Emily since she has a fever. With your permission of course". She added nearly sarcastically.

His red lip curled slightly as he ground out, "See, I don't rea-lllyy remember asking you to bring me anything for _my girl_ ". He took a step towards her, and even though she was almost six feet tall, and his height didn't intimidate her, his demeanor certainly would.

But at his words, instead of the fear she should have shown, she looked sad, and... worried? She opened her mouth as she stared at him and stated quietly, "I was only coming without telling you first because I assumed you cared if she lived, or died and I thought she needed some looking after..."

A thought occurred to him then, and he asked her scathingly, "You think you know how to treat her, huh? Do you also have any idea _why_ she got sick, missy?"

He asked the last part rhetorically, that much was clear, but something about how easily he blew off the child's illness infuriated her as she mouthed off to him for the first time in a long while, "Maybe it has something to do with the only friend she thought she had, is not her friend anymore? Or how she was practically torn from her old life, and thrust into a stressful environment with a criminal clown. He who's advances she must accept to top it all off?"

They stared at each other with varying levels of anger; her's was just above mild since serious anger was not in her nature, and his.. Was exponential; he looked vicious as he grabbed her hair faster than the eye could blink, and slammed her forehead against the wall, and she fell immediately onto her knees moaning, but not fighting back. While he still held her hair, he pulled her head back to look into her eyes and then he said tauntingly, "You think you know her better than me, then? Well, you're going to help me with getting her all better, aren't you?" He waited, as she regained her bearings, but when she didn't answer right away he yelled, "AREN'T YOU?!"

She raised her chin, and whispered, "Yes, I will".

He patted her cheek harder than necessary, and said with sickly fake sweetness, "W _onderful._ Now how about starting now, and making yourself use-ful, hm?" He didn't let her answer as he released her hair with a flick of his wrist, and turned down the hall, stalking off with his purple overcoat billowing like thunderclouds around him...

... "AREN'T YOU?!"

Emily was jolted out of her stupor, by a loud yell that she thought could have shaken the whole warehouse with it's intensity. She looked around for the source of it, and slowly rubbed her eyes, as she focused her still wringing ears on the sounds outside of the bedroom; all she could hear was dead silence, and disappointed, she slid off the bed to get some water she desperately needed from the faucet. It was strange; she didn't feel the slightest of hunger even though she couldn't remember the last time she ate, and even if she had, she had thrown up all the bile yesterday, so all she felt was serious thirst.

Having had about a liter and a half of water from the faucet, she slowly walked back into the room and saw Kate waiting for her with some bottles, and other things on the bed in front of her, she looked to be in deep thought about something when Emily came in, and she looked up with a smile in her direction.

"Hello, Emily. Come on; sit down. I'm sure you need to rest".

She sounded so much like her mother, it made Emily's heart ache as she sat in front of Kate, and watched her reach for a white bottle, handing it to her with a smile. Emily took it, and dry swallowed a couple pills. After that, Kate asked her, "Is your throat bothering you? Would you maybe like some tea, I do have some extra I can go get for you?"

"It's like you read my mind. Sure, I'd love some. Thank you", her voice sounded very raspy to her own ears.

Kate suddenly frowned, and looked at Emily's hand over her stomach, and said, "I think I should check you over a bit before I go get your drink..."

Emily frowned confusedly, but shrugged, and nodded her head anyways as she lay back against the pillows, and watched Kate get a thermometer which Emily opened her mouth for her to put it in, and after that Kate very gently, and almost hesitantly lifted her friend's shirt up, and once she did, Emily saw her face pale, and she swallowed quickly like she was holding back a gag. This worried Emily, and she was about to ask what was wrong, but Kate had quickly gotten up with a mutter about getting her drink, and left in a hurry, leaving her to her thoughts.

She pulled the thermometer out of her mouth, and read the reading: 101. No wonder she had probably hallucinated, and has the chills. Speaking of, she rubbed her shoulders to generate some warmth. She wondered where the Joker was while she waited for Kate.

And surprisingly he came in some minutes later without Kate, and carrying her mug in his hand. She stared at it longingly, and waited for him to say something while she sat there. She was beginning to feel a bit better, so she didn't really need the drink... But she wanted it, and wasn't going to ask him for it.

But then she did have a question she needed to ask, and steeling herself she looked up at him and put it to him, "What did you do to me?"

He raised a brow, and smirking internally, while externally keeping his face in mock-surprise, he asked, "Me? Do? Why would you think _I've_ done something, hm?" He came over and pressed the cup to her lips, but she resolutely kept them closed. Now smiling a wide yellow toothed smile, he pinched her cheeks to open her lips slightly while tipping up the cup as she gagged a bit, but drank some anyways while he continued to pour until she waved it off. He set it on the nightstand, and said with fake sweetness, "You'll tell me when you need it again, won't you?"

That earned him a tiny glare, but she quickly grew tired of the effort it took to be annoyed, so she simply laid back some more, wincing at her pounding headache, and shivering violently out of nowhere, forcing her to curl tightly, and wheeze a bit as she took quick breaths.

He watched this take place, and thought that he may as well have some fun with it. So as her back was to him, he shrugged out of his coat, pulled off his gloves and tie, and unbuttoned his green vest, and blue hexagonal shirt. Tossing them all to the side, he got under the covers with her, and with a tiny gibbering giggle he pulled her over to him with her back against his chest.

She was more focused on the pain in her head, but when he pulled her roughly to him, she rolled to her other side about to tell him exactly what she thought of this position he put her in, when the words died in her mouth at seeing his bare chest right in front of her face. Her eyes widened, and she looked into his merry eyes, asking the unspoken question of just what he was doing like this with her.

He giggled again, before saying in an offhand manner, "I watched a survival show once a few years ago... And on that show, the guy and girl were stranded in Alaska allll by themselves, with no warmth, and unable to start a fire. So you know what they did?" He paused, raising his eyebrows at her as she stared at him with furrowed brows, and no idea where he was going with this. "Welll, they (and this was the best part of the show in my opinion, apart from the moose gutting) had to get.. buck... na-ked to stay warm. So I think the same thing applies here". He finished with a cheeky smile down at her.

She at first froze, with her whole body tensing as she stared him down, then she felt she didn't care right now; her head, and stomach hurt, she was scared of what exactly he did when he mutilated her, and so with these more important thoughts in mind she closed her eyes against the pounding in her head and ground out tiredly, "Go ahead; do it. What's stopping you?"

She tensed again when his breath ghosted across her face as he whispered, "Ugh, where's the fun in that? What's the point if the woman isn't into it?"

She was about to respond, when he said suddenly, as if a great thought had just occurred to him, "Oh, speaking of... _Into it..."_ He grabbed her hand, and set it to rest on his bare, lean, muscly arm with a devilish smile on his face, and inching closer to her face with his other hand pressing into her back.

His face was impossibly close while he spoke to her in a deep, verging on soothing voice, "I do believe I promised you awhile back that I'd get you to relax..how 'bout we start? Right..now?"

She turned her head away, not yet ready to deal with this right now while he continued on closer until he placed a kiss against her left cheek, and pulled away with a loud smacking sound, watching as she turned her head back to face him, and say something rude no doubt, but he never gave her the chance, since when she turned back, he immediately leaned in to attach his lips to her's, and not letting go anytime soon, he left her hand on his arm, and used the one that had been holding her wrist to cup the back of her head, and pull her closer.

One thing he did not expect was for her to actually reciprocate, and that's exactly what she did; almost shyly, she moved her hand from his arm, up to his shoulder, and hesitating at his neck, he pulled away slightly, and growled nasally to her, "Come _ooon, Em. Let. Go.."_ his voice suddenly a sultry whisper ghosting over her whole being, " _relaax"._

Then he was kissing her deeply again, and she hesitated for only a moment longer before putting her hand in his hair, feeling him shiver against her as she did so, his hair didn't feel the way it looked; it wasn't as greasy as she thought it would be, it was more soft, and felt like it just had had some kind of product in it. She left her hand in his hair, and waited for him to be done, which always takes longer than she would have thought; it took what she felt was five whole minutes, of his creepy growls, biting, and gripping her tightly before he did something unexpected; still attached at the mouth, he rolled to be in a dominant position over her, and with one hand still holding her head, the other reached to stroke her thigh, then teasingly creep upwards.

Her eyes snapped open from squinting shut the whole time, startled, she fiercely yanked her head away, and scrambled to roll over into her side underneath him. She panted, and could hear his deeper, slower pants mixed with his chuckles, as he watched her regain her breathing, and whisper in a pathetic, pleading tone to him "Stop. That's too much".

He he turned his head, and looked at her sideways with the same smile on his painted face, as he cooed, "Ah, that's right; you've never, uh, 'done it' before. You're right; there's no reason to excite you right now with you being so frail, and all. There will be other days, and _nights_ ". He winked when she glanced fleetingly at him, making her blanch, and shake her head about to voice her objections, but he put a hand over her mouth, and said condescendingly, "Now it is time for bed; wouldn't want you to, um, over exert your-self now would we? No, no we do not". He shook his head along with his words, then crawled over to turn off the lamp, and looking over he saw she was curled on her side, coughing quite heavily, and he licked his lips quickly with her taste still on them, before coming next to her, and getting under the covers with her to 'provide warmth'. That being the only reason, of course...

... When Emily woke up against a bare-chested Joker, she was at first embarrassed, then confused; what happened yesterday? When the memories came back to her, she felt her cheeks heat, and her head lower in shame; she had kissed, and caressed a person who was possibly the most vile, and evil of everyone in Gotham. And that was saying something. She took a deep breath, and was then made aware of another thing; he was squeezing her hard even in his deep sleep, and it was restricting her breathing, so she very slowly, and fearfully pulled his arm off of her with no small amount of difficulty. When she was beginning to scoot out from under him, he muttered something, making her freeze as he constricted his arm around her once again; even in sleep, he was strong enough to pull another person back into his embrace, and once she was against him again, his hand reached higher up her stomach, and his face rested against the back of her head, puffing breaths against her scalp.

She shivered, and exhaled angrily, waiting a moment for his muscles to relax slightly again before grabbing the pillow by her head, and quickly lifted his arm to again scoot out, this time quickly shoving the thick pillow under his arm. This, shockingly worked like a charm; he held it closely against his chest, and if she were not still feeling weak, and nauseous she might have even giggled at the picture of the feared Joker hugging a pillow in his sleep. She shook her head, and rubbed her stomach as she felt a slight hunger pain. She looked at him to make certain he was fast asleep, and from the outside it appeared he was; deep even breaths, mouth opened slightly, and still hugging the pillow. So she felt it was safe to go get something to eat; she would only be gone a few minutes at most.

Not caring enough to change out of her nightdress, she walked shakily to the door, and slowly turned the handle while keeping an eye on the sleeping man, she winced as the door creaked, and he stirred a bit; she did not want to deal with his anger first thing in the morning over something as stupid as getting breakfast. Pulling the door open just enough to get through, she slipped out, and shut it quietly behind her.

Once it was shut completely, she turned to walk as quickly as she could down the hall, and trying to remember where the kitchen was, then she did recall the path clearly in her head, so she turned the way her head was telling her to, intent on eating as quickly as possible to hurry back before he woke up and found her gone. She figured this shouldn't be a problem; it was really quite early, so hopefully he wouldn't be up anytime soon.

Rounding the door to the kitchen she found it pitch black, and groped for the light switch, once she'd found it, she flicked it on and blinked her eyes as the mess in here; food on the counters, many many dishes, beer bottles everywhere, with a lot broken on the floor, and she hadn't brought any shoes with her. She carefully sidestepped the messes, and reached the cupboard to pull out the cereal she knew to be there, then she prepared herself a small bowl, and went to sit at the table to eat slowly not wanting to stuff her long empty stomach.

Once she had finished, and drank the last of the milk in the bowl, she got up to set it in the sink, but on the way, she wasn't paying much attention, so she stepped all of her weight into a beer bottle glass shard sinking deep into her foot, and forcing her to fall as she dropped her also glass bowl, shattering it on the floor, and cutting her palms as she fell on them as well, letting out a quick cry of pain. Then directly after letting it out, she clamped her hand over her mouth in horror, expecting to see the Joker come through the door at any second, and she gritted her teeth against the pain she felt all over herself.

She sat kneeling for a few minutes, forcing back the cries, then setting her sights on limping to the table chair, as she very slowly oriented herself that direction, then carefully rising up to walk she tripped again like the true klutz she was, only this time she was caught by two hands gripping her biceps. She winced, thinking the Joker would be pissed at her for leaving without his permission, so she hesitated before turning to look at the person behind her... It was none other than the red headed kid she met not that long ago; Josh, she remembered his name dimly.

She smiled as he helped her into the chair, and once she was sitting, she offered a quick, "Thanks, Josh".

He looked into her eyes with an unreadable expression for a moment, then quickly glanced over his shoulder at the open door, not that she could blame him for his worry; they could be caught at any moment. Turning back to her, he hissed angrily, in a hushed voice, "What are you doing?! You're going to get us both in huge trouble!"

She frowned, favoring her injured foot as she mumbled back, "That's a nice way to greet someone who was just getting breakfast, tripped, and did not ask for your help to begin with".

His hazel eyes softened just slightly, as he grumbled in response, "You're right. I shouldn't have snapped like that... I'm sure you understand that it's stressful is all". She grudgingly nodded in agreement, and watched his eyes flick down to her foot as he said in a rush, "There's a first aid kit in here, I'll get it for you, and help with your foot". She also noticed his state lingering slightly on her almost bare legs, when he turned to grab the kit, she pulled the dress down as far as it would go; not very far. Then she watched him return with it, and start to slowly pull the glass out; she hissed, and closed her eyes tightly, waiting for it to end, and it did very quickly. Pretty soon he was putting the wrap over, and around her foot as she sat staring at the top of his head.

When he looked up after finishing with her foot, she quickly looked away, and felt him pick up her scraped, and cut up hands to fix those as well. She returned to studying him then, and she found it funny how his nose scrunched when he was focused hard on something, it was kind of cute actually, she acknowledged to herself.

Once he had bandaged both her hands, he looked up into her eyes since he probably felt her stare, and as his hazel looked deeply into her light brown eyes, she opened her mouth to voice her thanks when they were both interrupted by someone's (and Emily knew exactly who's it was) tongue clicked the roof of their mouth in a scolding manner. They both snapped their heads in the direction of the noise, and stared in horror as The Joker walked inside with his purple pants, hexagonal shirt, gloves, and clown-like shoes on.

"Tsk. Tsk. What is this? A party without me? Or could this be a case of a little girl who got out of bed without permission, and is talking to strangers as well? It looks that way, but why would she do this when I ex-press-lyy told her to ask- _uh_ first?" He had stepped all the way into the room by then, with a deceptively calm look on his face, and a playful tone, though Emily was sure his mood was anything but playful as she watched his tensed shoulders and hands in fearful anticipation of what was to come next.

Apparently Josh was willing to speak first as he said to his boss, "I just found her in here after she had fallen, and had a few cuts that I treated for her.." He was obviously trying to keep his voice strong, but it cracked in a few places.

The Joker stepped closer to stand behind Emily while staring down Josh and then resting a gloved hand on her shoulder as he said, "Ah, I see". She heard him lick his lips, and she cringed at the sound. "So you though _t_ you would... _help_ my little _Em-Ilyy._ Is that right?"

The Joker's tone had shifted slightly, and it was enough to warn Josh of imminent pain, as he scrambled up, and back a few steps. "I-I didn't think you'd m-mind, boss. I was only helping her".

The Joker squeezed her shoulder, before stepping around her seated form, and walking up to his young henchman, and saying quietly, in his nasally voice, "Do I, uh, _pay_ you to think _-uh?_ " he waited a split second, before roaring, "DO I?!"

Emily jumped, but Josh merely cringed, probably used to it as he said back, "No, sir. Y-you don't". He braced himself, knowing what will happen next for him helping the boss's girl. But he felt he had to; he actually felt bad for her, and her injuries needed to be dealt with, she couldn't do it on her own. But there's no reasoning with the Joker, it just doesn't happen; once his mind is set, there's no turning it back to the world of reason.

Fearing for Josh's life as she watched the Joker pull out a knife from his pants pocket, and then place it on Josh's neck, she quickly yelled out, "Wait! It wasn't Josh's fault".

As she watched the kid's eyes turn towards her with a sad look in them, and the Joker looked over his hunched shoulders with narrowed eyes at her, it was then she knew; she had made a mistake, and made it far worse for Josh than it was originally going to be. She and him weren't supposed to be speaking, and now Joker knew that they had been. He surely wasn't going to go easy on her new (almost) friend.

She was right; it was horrible for Josh. Emily watched through teary eyes, with her hand over her mouth as the Joker slammed his head on the counter, and when he was on the floor, the Joker then sat on him so he couldn't move, and proceeded to carve his chest while Josh screamed and shrieked for him to please stop. The Joker, of course, paid his screaming no mind as he continued with carving here, shoving his knife inside of him at some point, until all Josh could get out were horrible moans like a dying animal. She watched the Joker do one last thing; he leaned, and whispered something to Josh that made his eyes widen right before the Joker shoved the knife's blade through his nose, and into his brain, killing him instantly.

She felt the need to throw up all over again, as the Joker rose to his full height, leaving the knife in his skull, and turned towards her while she still sat in the chair, watching him fearfully as he stalked closer.

Once he was directly in front of her, he leaned down a bit, with an evil smirk on his face as he said menacingly, "And as for _youuu"._ And she knew in no uncertain terms; she was in big trouble, and she would do well not to cross him from now on...


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: read chapter 2**

 **Sorry about the short chapter! It's been a crappy/busy couple of days, and I just HAD to get one out even if it was short with not much going on. And so I'm excited to get started on the next chapter! It will be a rocky road, and I'm so excited to see what you guys think of the ending that will come... I don't inow when:( We will start to see changes (nothing major character-wise) in both of them, and they may be unexpected, and out of the blue, but if you pay attention it should make sense;).**

 **THANK YOU FAV, ALERTERS, AND FOLLOWERS SOOO MUCH!**

 **THANK YOU, BunnyMermaid, AidansQueen, beladelsirine, and Ella for your great reviews!**

 **This chapter is dedicated to BunnyMermaid; thanks for the Joker's nurse outfit idea;)**

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"And as for _youuu"_ The Joker stopped in front of her with a smile still on his face as he stared down at her. It seemed to Emily that having just murdered someone put him in a better mood than when he first came in, though she could still see anger simmering in his dark brown eyes, and she knew that if she set him over the edge he would do something to her that would put her in a mental asylum.

" _Little_ Emily. You". He put a leather clad finger under her chin, raising her eyes to his as he continued half growling, and half singing through gritted yellow teeth, "Have some ex-plain-ing _to doo"._

She held his stare as she swallowed the lump in her throat, and answered him quietly, "I only planned on being gone for a couple minutes, Jos- the guy," she quickly corrected herself at seeing his playful stare harden. "Was only helping me with my cut feet, and hands..."

"Hmm. Is tha _t. So_?" It was clear he thought she was lying, and that there was more going on between the two of them.

She reluctantly deducted that she would have to do something to quell his suspicions. And fast, too. So when he removed his finger, she shakily rose from her seat on one foot so not to put any weight on the cut one, and with her face tilted downwards, she muttered, "Maybe you're thinking this because you need time off from your fast paced life. Maybe you need to take a break, a rest?"

A beat of silence.

Then, that unmistakable high pitched chuckle, she hesitatingly looked into his mischievous face as he leaned closer, and said to her quietly, "I don't exactly have the time for that. But thanks for the offer". He winked, and his intentional teasing made her insides turn.

She watched him straighten in front of her, and put a hand to her cheek as he said with fake regret in his nasally voice, "You know, uh, that won't exactly get you out of a firm punishment".

She stepped back, and with widened eyes, she asked incredulously, "Punishment? For what?"

He let her back up a bit, knowing she couldn't get far with that foot. "Well, sweetie. You knew you weren't supposed to leave the room with-ou _t_ me".

He raised his eyebrows at her, and stepped towards her forcing her to take a hasty step back, but as she did, she tripped and fell onto her rear end, and in some broken glass, making her yelp in pain as she watched him come ever closer with a slight smile, as he said in a reprimanding tone, "Why are you so scared, E _m-ilyy_? You _knooow_ I'm not going to kill you".

She scooted back a bit until he put his foot between her legs and stepped firmly on the hem of her dress, forcing her to stop and stare up at him fearfully.

When she answered him finally, her voice was shaking so badly you could hardly understand her; The Joker tilted his head in amusement at what she said next. "Y-yes, I am pretty sure you won't kill me..." She looked into his eyes imploringly, as she stuttered, "But it's amazing the horrors people can live through".

He doubled over in laughter directly above her, making her extremely uncomfortable as he took a while to get his breathing under control again, and he straightened up then looked at her shaking at his feet. He crouched right next to her, and stared intently at her scared, pale face, and listened to her still a little congested, wheezing breaths. And he felt a thrill of excitement at her fear that he felt everytime someone was moved to terror at his clearly menacing persona, but there was something entirely different from excitement that he felt as well at seeing her terror. And searching deep into himself, through his black soul, and shriveled heart with his sharp mind... He felt... An overwhelming urge, a desire... An all-consuming _need_ to simply clutch her in his arms, and never let her out of his sight. He truly felt that now that she had taken it upon herself to leave the room when she felt like it, he needed to take some _extra_ _precautions._ Such as taking her with him everywhere, going with her when she left their room. And he felt that in time she will warm up to him, because as of right now she was only barely on the fully obedient side she needed to be on, and they can eventually have an un-der-stand-ing with each other.

He smiled at his thoughts of their life together, and grasped her arm to pull her up with him. He opened his red mouth to respond to her earlier words, saying, "You're ab-sol-utely right, Em. People _can_ live through some pretty intense stuff. But the way I see it is..." He grasped her shoulders, looking into her eyes. "Whatever doesn't _kill youu,_ can either mess you up a bit, and you get to get up and dust yourself off afterwards, orrr... Make you into a fr- _eak. Like. Me"._ He petted the back of her head as he stated in a nasally, and condescending tone, "I am proud to be a little different from everyone else.. _You_ should be, too!" He poked her nose when he said 'you'.

She frowned slightly in confusion when he said that. Her different from everyone else? How so? She responded quietly in a submissive tone, "I don't believe that". He licked his lips, and cocked his head, nodding for her to continue. And she did while looking at the floor, and not his face, "I think it takes more to... _Change_ a person than just one bad day; I think everyone is capable of committing great evil no matter who you are". She slowly looked up into his mildly amused eyes with a straight face as she said strongly, "But people are also capable of great _good_ should they choose to act on their convictions to do the right thing". It was what her mom always told her, anyways, but she wasn't going to tell the Joker that.

"Is that, uh, what your mommy always told you after you'd come home from getting bullied in school?" He asked with a knowing expression on his painted face.

She froze, warily asking him, "How.. how do you know that?" She felt she might know the answer, but wondered if he would say it.

He smiled darkly, and put an arm around her shoulders as he stated, "Now that. Is a loaded question, Em-ilyy. Because you see". He turned his head to whisper in her ear, his hot breath tickling her neck, "There's a lot of things I know about you that even you don't know".

He nuzzled her neck before pulling away to lead them back, but they had to move slowly on account of Emily's foot which was still throbbing. And this gave her a moment to discreetly turn her head to see exactly what the Joker had done to Josh since she was in too much shock earlier to see clearly; her eyes widened at what she saw... He had been completely gutted, his innards splayed all over the floor, and she wondered who would take care of it. She tore her misty eyes away from the gruesome scene, and instead looked up to the face of the clown who was humming in a carefree way as they walked. She felt herself shudder at the thought that the man who had just recently, murdered in cold blood another human being out of jealousy, and possessiveness... To think he was standing right next to her, and not only that; he was her captor, he knew intimate things about her, and actually wanted to make her a... something she didn't quite know yet. But she was going to find out eventually, and until then, she would simply have to not ever anger him again.

She looked back down the hall at the kitchen door to whisper in her mind to Josh that she's sorry. She's sorry she didn't have the guts to do more to defend him. She was no hero. Of that, she was sure...

... Ugh. Bo-riiing. Once Emily and The Joker had returned to the bedroom, she'd gone over to the bed, and just... _sat there for hours!_ At first he was busy, and had things to do so he didn't care for at least half of this time, and now he was done 'working' and ready to play. But she was being so uncooperative; he'd try to start a conversation at first with polite/border-lining nosy questions, then he had goaded, and teased her, then he tried to see if touching, or maybe kissing her would snap her out of it, since she always, without fail, every time they kissed there would be tension, fear, anxiety, resentment, and hesitation behind her's, and frankly anything was better than this zombie act she had going right now, so he had kissed her a couple times. First pecks, then deeper, and deeper... but she stubbornly remained pretty much the same; it was like kissing a squishy ball!

Irritated, he growled and pulled away to stare at her as she sat there dejected, and somewhat sad. His first thought, and the most repulsive to him was that she was sad over that... _Boy's_ deserved death, and his fists clenched at the thought of her mourning him. He hastily shook the idea away, and turned to more probable reasons for her behavior, and the thought that struck him almost immediately was; people act different when they're seriously sick, so maybe that was her problem. He re-fu-sed to believe her state of upset was caused by his deceased, expendable lackey.

So deciding she needed something to cheer her up since he really did love her smile, almost as much as his own, and to throw her off a bit, he turned to the trunk at the foot of the bed, and searched through it for a certain something. Tossing to the side tools for bomb-making, some extra inconspicuous clothes, a few bullets, and only a couple knives.

Picking up one of the switchblades, he examined it for a moment before grumbling in a growl, "That's where this was hiding. I've been looking for it forever". He slid it into one of his many coat's pockets, and continued to rifle through the trunk, and was about to give up until something caught his eye; he picked it up, and looked it over with a growing smile, then he closed the trunk lid with a crash, and was heading to the bathroom, when he stopped at looked at his Emily; she looked still enough, but you never know so he went to the door and locked it, putting the key in his pants pocket before stalking to the bathroom, and closing the door with a slam.

Emily sat waiting for nothing to happen, as she thought over why she didn't do more to help Josh, and why she was such a rotten, selfish person that she couldn't save the one who helped her? She drew her knees up, and buried her head in her arms, letting the guilt consume her.

She'd been sitting like that for a few minutes until someone cleared their throat for her to look up. And she did, about to tell him off, but the words died on her lips as she saw what he was wearing; a white, gown-like nurse's outfit, with his feet bare, his hair slicked back a little, a _rectal thermometer in his hand_ and... Her stomach turned; he had written in his red greasepaint to make it look like blood. It read:

 _WANT ME TO CHECK YOUR TEMPERATURE, HUNNY?_

She slid back a bit in the bed, not knowing what he was about, but frankly, it freaked her out a little; she didn't know wether to scream or laugh at the ridiculous look; a war painted clown in a nurse outfit, with something akin to blood on the front, it was like something out of a horror movie.

While she stared at him with an open mouth, she asked him worriedly, "I don't understand... Is this the prelude to some horrible punishment..?"

He raised a black painted brow, getting on the bed as he asked, "Punishmen? Why do you think you deserve punishments, huh? Unless, of course... You _want_ _a pun-ish-ment..?_ If so, I'm up for a lit-tle _rough play"._

She shook her head slowly, saying, "Y-you said I would get a s-severe punishment for leaving without... permission". She finished in a whisper, closing her eyes expecting a blow, or a yell at least.

But he did neither, merely sat back on his haunches as he stared at her with a sly smile on his face as he said, "Don't wor-ry..." He drew out the word slowly, as if to taunt her. "The consequences for your very not-smart actions have already been dealt out". He waved a hand dissmisivly, and her heart clenched at the reminder of Josh's untimely demise.

She looked down, only to glance back up at his next words. "How-ev-er; since I apparently cannot trust you.. I'm not letting you out of my sight. In other words; where I go, from now on you go, too".

Emily looked his outfit over again, debating what she was going to say. She decided on; "What's with the outfit, then? You don't have any idea how ridiculous you look, do you?" She tacked on the last question, seeing as he either will, or he won't do something drastic, and it doesn't really matter what she says.

He looked down at himself, as if just noticing his different new look with a mock-surprised expression as he said, "It would seem odd that I'm in a female nurse outfit, huh?" He looked at her from beneath his brows with a smirk. "But I wouldn't say ridiculous. I think I look pretty good".

She looked slightly to the left of him as she muttered, "You _would_ think that".

He crawled closer to her, until he was right in front of her. And with a fake hurt voice he said, "You don't like it?" He put a hand to his chest. "I put it on just for you".

"What do you even have it for anyways?"

His eyes sparked, and he grinned as he answered, "Great question! But where to begin?" He put his chin in his hand, and looked up at the ceiling for a moment, then brightened as if just remembering something. "Ah yes; the day Harvey Two-Face became plain old Two-Face. What a change that was, Em, I wish you could have been there. See, I gave him the option of killing me (the man res-pon-si-ble for his love's death), or he could let it go, let it all go and _become_ like me! And you know what he chose?" The Joker started to giggle uncontrollably, and said through his laughter, "He had to flip a coin to decide if he should kill me or not! He actually needed to consult some inanimate object to decide if he should kill me. THE Harvey Dent! Gotham's White Knight couldn't actually kill the man who had done so much damage to this city, and in the end, good ole Dent tried to murder our 'incredible' Commissioner's family, but then he was killed. And not. By. Bat-man; he doesn't do that". His eyes turned feverish at the mention of the caped crusader.

"It's his one. Rule. Whereas I, have no rules! I do what I please, when I want to do it, and I'm the one who knows what these skirmishes between 'good' and 'evil' are truly about", he growled but not angrily; more like intensely, and animatedly; he was very excited by this talk, and she just had to ask him to finsish what he was going to say.

"What is it about, then?"

He leaned forward, and said with utter surety, "Gotham's. Soul".

Now she was really confused; he was making sense, and it was a strange feeling to know he was fairly right, except for about this, so she asked, "How do you mean?"

He smiled, "What I mean is; without evil then good wouldn't even know what to do with itself-ah. Kind of like without some courage around, there couldn't be fear. And this city here, it is load-ed with people who say they are brave, but really they aren't, and many many many people who very openly admit to being the cowards they are. This city lets me do whatever I want to it, it will never fail in that way at least. Now with the city's Dark Knight gone". He almost looked the barest kind of sad at this. "This place, unfortunately has nobody to de-fend it from people like me. And as much fun-ah as The Bat was, now that he's gone for a bit, then these people won't know what hit them! Already their morals, their beliefs, their ideologies are slow-ly coming undone. They just can't accept that I'm actually normal, but just because I'm a bit different, and have 'violent tendencies' then by their standards, I'm _not_ 'normal".

He snorted, seemingly in a mixture of disgust, and amusement. "Who are they to say? Even if you go to college, get a de-gree in psychology, and all that; how do you know that what you're learning isn't true? How do you know that you may be wrong? You don't! See, we're raised to believe these basic principles; say please and thank you, don't lie, don't steal, murder is wrong, and the list goes on, and if you follow these rules you're automatically a 'good' and 'decent' person. But what about the people who steal just so they can, uh, feed their families? What about the fathers who beat their kids in the name of 'discipline'? What makes a good person truly good, and what makes a bad person truly bad?"

He paused, staring at her open mouth, and stunned eyes, and he knew she was swayed as he said teasingly, "I'll, uh, take your apology for questioning my motives in written form, please".

Then she laughed. She actually laughed for the first time since coming here! Not a full out laugh, more like a tiny giggle like she had spent top much time holding it in and it just had to come out eventually, and he was pretty sure her smile didn't come as easily now that she was away from her former home, but he was confident he could get her to smile a lot more eventually. And in time... She'll be. Just. Like. Him...


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: read chapter 2**

 **THANK YOU EVERYONE WHO HAS ADDED THIS STORY TO FOLLOWS, ALERTS, AND FAVORITES!**

 **THANK YOU REVIEWERS!**

 **AidansQueen, BunnyMermaid, and Ella! You guys were so sweet about that last short chapter, and I can't thank you enough. I was especially touched by Ella's review. It means a lot to me that you guys take time out of your day to read, and review, thanks for your guys' kind words.**

 **I hope you enjoy this!**

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" _How is it, that I can go from one minute thinking that what he does is repulsive, to not caring in the least what he does to this city in the next?",_ Emily thought to herself worriedly while carrying a small box to The Joker's (what he refers to as his) 'office'.

It it was a fairly bare room, with what looked to be (she assumed) some bomb making materials, some cardboard boxes, and a worktable in the middle with no chair for him to use for sitting down during the long hours he spends in there doing who-knows-what? Creating objects of destruction, most likely.

It had been a few days since the Josh incident, and he kept his promise to her; where he went, so did she most of the time. Not, that she really went anywhere, more like she was forced to go with him places. Though, he had been sending her on very little errands around the building, mainly just to pick up a box, or vial, or a bag he'd forgotten from another room to bring back to him. And once she gets back, he has her stay in whatever room he's in with him. One time, when she was getting something for him, and she took a little longer than he thought was necessary, he had found her quite a bit quicker than she thought was possible considering the enormity of this place, and he had then demanded to know what took her so long, a slightly crazed look in his eye as he did, and why she thought it was ok to keep him waiting forever? She had been tempted to talk back and say that she didn't know the building that well, and she didn't do anything else on the way that would have made it take longer, but she wasn't going to say that, so she had responded instead with a muttered apology, and assured that it wouldn't happen again. He had looked at her strangely then, but seemed appeased as he'd then taken her load from her, beckoning her to follow him with a wave of his hand, and she did so entirely willingly. She admitted to herself that her old self (the person she was after first coming here) would have yelled back at him, and gotten into a fight, but after what happened with Josh, and having witnessed, and taken the brunt of his anger... She just didn't have the nerve, or anything needed to stand up to him on any real level anymore.

She almost smiled on her way back at the thought of him in that nurse outfit not long ago, the only somewhat 'happy' memory she could recall that wasn't overly fuzzy. And while she thought of this instance, she seriously wondered how he could be so full of himself as to still be so very commanding, not to mention intimidating in such a feminine garb. The day he wore it was the same day he had taken out her stitches, and at first she had vehemently opposed him coming anywhere near her wound with little scissors, or any sharp object, for that matter. She had tried not to let him, but in the end he, of course, won the battle. That was pretty humiliating like every other thing that's happened these past.. weeks now, has it been?

She wasn't sure how long it had been since being taken here. Dwelling on the passing of time, she soon found herself dwelling on how her mother was now. It had actually been less and less that she'd been thinking of her lately, and yet sometimes she still wondered; was her mom going through denial? Maybe acceptance by now; it has been a while, after all, since they'd seen each other, and Emily knew that she was beginning to feel acceptance creeping into her own self everyday in this new life. Not yet affection for the clown nearby, but she was more accepting, and desensitized to his touches, actions, and violent tendencies. She wondered if she was becoming a zombie? Who knows?

She felt the familiar uneasy pull in her stomach as she walked closer to the door she knew him to be behind most of his waking hours. He spent many sleepless nights in there, and she had taken it upon herself to find his lackeys in 'their part' of the warehouse, and ask them to fix a sandwich for their boss and her. She never told them why she wouldn't ever go in the kitchen again, and those times she left without the Joker's permission she would have to hear about it, and deal with his anger over it for hours on end but normally he would cool off, and grow teasing, and a dark kind-of charming once again.

She mentally prepared herself as best she could, before pushing open the door (he told her not to knock, just to come in, and lately she had been trying not to intentionally anger him) to stare at his back hunched over his work, and deathly quiet which you'd think was unusual for the Joker, but he gets like that when he works specifically on bombs; he will stare intensely, grow quietly, and occasionally mutter to himself or her, but otherwise he was simply moving his hands quickly over the wires, tools, and parts he was using to create something. Like a deadly game of Tetris. When he was done, and he felt it to be sufficient he would then smile broadly, and turn without a word, to pulp her to him, and kiss her because he says its a way to show her he's sorry in a teasing way for ignoring her all day. She wondered why he even bothered? They both knew he wasn't really sorry, he didn't actually mind making her wait for him to be done so she could go outside with him, or so they could get something to eat together, him holding her hand with his fingers laced through her's every time they'd leave a room together.

Stepping through the door with the box in one hand, she used her other to make sure the door scarcely clicked so not to disturb him and give him a reason to be irritated.

She walked up to him and studied to check for any tell tale signs if he seemed annoyed at all because if he was, she would only set the box down next to him instead of handing it to him directly.

But his posture looked relaxed enough, so she stood next to him, and set it down, saying in a voice barely above a whisper, "I was late with the box just now because two of the three that the guys handed me were broken in transit, so I had to salvage just this one".

He waved her off, saying happily, but also in a distracted manner in his nasal voice, "You're forgiven. But, uh, _someone_ will pay for ruining my extra special boxes to-nigh _t_ ". His voice turned into a snarl at the last six words.

She away angry, and also reluctant to go either write on the piece of paper she had been scribbling song lyrics on, or sit in the chair by the sorting table and think. Out of nowhere, though she was stopped by a gloved hand around her forearm, pulling her around, and kissing her hard and fast, leaving her in mild shock; he never stopped what he was working on to acknowledge her until after it was finished, usually late at night. He must have felt the need to touch her since she was gone longer than she was supposed to be, she figured. That, or to assert his obvious dominance and control over her.

He smiled devilishly at her surprised expression and very mildly angered expression, before cupping her cheek, and stroking it with his thumb as he sing-songed, "Have I got a sur-prise for you tonight, my _dearr_ ".

She didn't particularly like the epithets that he used to describe her all too often, and was tempted to scowl at him. However, the urge quickly dwindled to her usual self protecting numbness. And so instead she asked him warily, "W-what kind of surprise, exactly?"

His thumb stopped caressing her face, and his expression turned completely mischievous, "No spoiling my surprise for you. What do think the word 'surprise' means, huh?", he chided her.

She opened her mouth to reply, but he had turned back to whatever he was originally doing, and said excitedly, "Just wait over there for a bit, and when I'm done we'll... Well, you'll find out soon enough".

Now she did frown at the back of his head, and nearly stomped to the chair that was nearby him to sulk about having to be subject to a surprise of his; they weren't always that great. One of her first nights here he had surprised her with her favorite foods, and then just recently he had surprised her with being 'allowed' (as if she wanted) to be witness to the kidnapping, then killing of a forty-something year old woman, whom he had 'needed' to finish a video he would then send to the woman's family he said were 'in the upperclass of Gotham, and held a lot of power, so this should shake them up a bit, and put them off their game'. So needless to say she was wary of his surprises.

Emily sat with her chin in her hand, staring at the grains in the table for an uncounted number of minutes when a hand suddenly touched her right side, startling her out of herb thoughts. She jumped, looking up into The Joker's yellow-toothed smiling face.

He leaned closer and cooed in her face, "Let's go, my little pet", then, notice her still worried look, he smiled almost reassuringly, and added", You'll like this, I pro-mise". He grasped her hand, and yanked her out of her chair, grabbing his purple coat off the table on their way out the door, and down the hall, presumably to The Joker's room...

... She stood in the Joker's room in front of him with a deadpan look on her face as he dangled a tiny sky-blue dress from his fingers, offering it to her, and ordering her to put it on.

She took the fabric from him, looking at it she heard him ask, "What do you think, _sweetheart_? I got it _special_ ; I know you like that color, and I knew you'd like the shoes..."

She looked into his merry eyes that were glinting a dark chocolate brown, and she quipped at him for the first time in days though it was obvious it didn't hold her usual fire, "It's nice. Where's the bottom half?"

He giggled, and turned her around to push her into the bathroom and shoved the shoes in her hand as he said, "You are so cute sometimes, really, Em. Now be a good girl and put those on in a, um.. Timely fashion".

He pushed her in and slammed the door behind her. She looked back while clutching the dress to her chest, feeling uncomfortable; she liked dresses only if they were modest, comfy, and didn't make her look like she was trying too hard. This dress, fit none of that criteria; it was short and probably wouldn't even reach halfway to her knees, it was bunched up looking in chiffon material, strapless with a sweetheart neckline (she wondered if he did that on purpose since he calls her that all the time), and the only thing it had going for it was that it was in her favorite color.

This was the first time he had put her in something she found to be completely indecent. It made her wonder what he had in mind for tonight. Her hands shook as she dressed, and thought over the possibilities. While strapping on the shoes she dimly noted that she always loved gladiator sandals, and these were black, just like the ones she always wanted, but her parents never paid enough attention to notice her hints on the days leading up to her birthday. They may have been oblivious, but she still missed them, specifically her mother, she may be eighteen now, but the thought of her mom holding her was so enticing, and she couldn't help the tiny tearless sob she let out. Her mother would positively die if she saw her daughter leave the house dressed like this.

She pushed thoughts of her mom to the back of her mind, locking them lovingly in a box to think about later, if and when she would be left alone to her melancholy thoughts. She straightened to look in the mirror to note her thin face with sunken in light brown eyes, pink lips, a button-esque nose, rosy cheeks, with straggly, dark brown curly hair surrounding this almost now unfamiliar face. She decided to do something with it like she would back home; she took a small rubber band she had found, pulling some of her hair back for half up half down, with a few stray strands to frame her face. She gazed a moment longer, and once she was satisfied with her appearance, she turned the handle slowly, and stepped out with her eyes downcast, and not wanting them to meet any part of The Joker; not his brown shoes, purple coat, or his green-tinged hair as she stood waiting for a response to her appearance, fearing that she looked trashy and completely undesirable.

She heard a quick, deep intake of breath, though she wondered if she had imagined it as she stood by the bed with her hands behind her back, feeling his stare as it made the hair on her arms rise.

She heard his agonizingly slow footsteps coming closer until he was right next to her, and lacing his arm through her's to use it to pull her up against his side as he leaned down to nuzzle the top of her head and rasp out in a rougher version of his usual nasally voice, "Mmm, you look _beautiful_ ". He drew out the last word as if rolling it around in the air, then letting it drop.

She shivered a little at his breath on her head, and the way he said 'beautiful'. She then let him tug her by the arm he still held in his hard muscly one out the door, and into the hall where he paused a moment, seeming to consider something.

"How about we don't go through the front door? Let's go out back". He seemed suspiciously mischievous as he said this.

She had no idea why he even asked her rhetorical questions at all? He never waited for her answer as they walked through the vast, quiet building to a side door she's never seen before; it was smallish, brown and rather old looking. The Joker fished a set of keys out of his pocket, and proceeded to finger through them until he found the right one with a satisfied 'ah'. He pushed the door open with one arm, and gestured her out first with his other hand. She stepped around him out to the eastern facing side of the warehouse, out into the heavily overcast regular Gotham day.

She felt an arm slip around her hip, and guide her with it around the building to the front of it as they walked on the sidewalk towards where she remembered the docks to be. As they walked and listened to their footsteps on the sidewalk, his clown-like shoes slower and heavier than the quicker clacking of her sandals.

It was eerily quiet on the streets through these dilapidated houses, not calm, and peaceful quiet; more unnerving, and it put Emily on edge. So she flinched nearly out of her skin when she heard the Joker's voice speak through the stillness of the day, he had been uncharacteristically quiet till now, "I'm act-ually quite surprised right now, Em-ilyy. You know why?"

She glanced up at his very close, war painted face and shook her head slowly that no she didn't know why. He smiled slyly, his red lips sretching as he did, and pulled her closer while he said, "Well, I know you didn't have many guys panting after you growing up, but I cant i-magine why; you're ve-ry pleasant to, uh, have around, you follow direction - granted, only after proper motivation, but it's probably for the best that you didn't have many men in your life since I know that out of all the guys you've ever met, that I am the one best suited for you. And let me tell you". He laughed once, quickly and crazily before reigning it in to continue, though she wished he wouldn't; his words were having a depressing effect on her; she only attracts men that are off their rockers? "I have met, and had... re-lationsss with many women before, but none were quite like you; fiery and, uh, obedient at the same time while also having a very in-ter-esting..." He whispered the last words in her ear, "View point on certain things". Referring to her video she made and had put on the internet.

By now they'd made it to the water, and walking next to it, she stared at the grey/black void with an island in the distance with a sprawling, and hugely intimidating fortress on it that looked all the more scary due to the completely non-sunny day. She dimly remembered the name of the place from some memory she didn't care enough to fully recall: Arkham Asylum.

" _That place should be out of business by now",_ she grumbled to herself. _"They can't even keep the criminals they have in there locked up! What's the point of it?"_

"Why did you bring me out here? You're hardly ever done working until late", she turned to look at him face on as she asked this, staring at his amused face.

"So you don't want to come outside anymore? Alright, then let's just go back inside now"..

She quickly snatched her hand back, and frowned at him, "You know that's not what I mean by this. I want to know what the catch is?"

He raised his black painted eyebrows in exaggerated, fake surprise as he asked her in a hurt voice, "Catch? Why would you suspect something like that from me? Are you pos-it-ive I'm not doing this just from the, uh, kindness of my heart?"

What heart?, were the two words on the tip of her tongue, but she wasn't about to start a fight, so she went with instead, "With you, nothing is how it seems. I want to know why we're out here today, right now... please". She added at seeing his expression slightly harden.

He smiled a tight lipped smile, and put his arms out to his sides, saying playfully, "You caught me. Very clever of you, Em. I guess it's not that hard to deduce; my reputation speaks for itself, I think".

He pulled out a detonator from his coat pocket, and looked out at the water with an excited look on his face. She followed his gaze to see what he was staring at; Arkham Asylum. Was he going to blow up that place? She was going to find out for certain when he said;

"This city is going to go u _p_ in _flamess"._

With that he smiled eagerly, and pressed the button down hard, and then... Nothing happened. She looked back at him to see his expectant expression morph into disappointment, then irritation as he growled quietly to himself and fiddled with the thing as if that would help. She observed that it was almost comical to see this killer having to toy with his remote like a child who had a remote control truck that broke the day after he got it, and was trying to fix it himself.

"No-thing is reliable these days anymore, I tell ya".

She was close to giggling a little when the explosions started going off, forcing her to snap her attention in that direction, and even from this vast distance separating them, and the explosion she could practically feel the heat, and debris coming off, and out of the whole front of the building. She watched the bricks, glass and other parts of the place shoot out and fall into the water. She belatedly realized that there were probably at least a dozen of the workers from there in that part of the building, and they were very likely all dead now. The thought enraged her; these people were probably working there to support their families, and he had just blown out their lives as easily as a candle on a birthday cake, and he had probably only done it so that his 'friends' in there wouldn't have anything stopping them from escaping, and now that place would need serious reconstruction, and maybe even completely unusable for quite sometime, so therefore when the criminals get moved, they will have an easier time of escaping.

She was openly fuming behind the cackling clown in front of her, and he seemed completely oblivious to her upset. Good; it made it easier for what she was about to do.

Balling her small fist, she pulled back to punch him in the head. And as she swung, faster than she could have thought possible, he whirled around to effectively clasp her right wrist in his hand, smiling a wide smile he said teasingly to her, "Ooh, caught that one, huh?"

She grunted, and tried to hit with her other hand but he grabbed it as well, while he giggled uncontrollably, which furthered her frustration as she growled out, "You are THE MOST"-

"Uh, char-ming". He cut her off, squeezing her wrists tighter, and tighter at each well placed word, his voice the only sound since the explosions had died away by now. "Handsome, clever-"

"Egotistical, vile, irritating"-

"Ah-ah!" Still holding her hand in his, he put them both in one gloved hand, and placed his other over her mouth with a smirk on his scarred lips as she openly glared at him. "Now, you were doing so well, where did this bad behavior come from, hm? I like you're spirit, don't get me wrong, and I like this". He rubbed her hands over his white painted cheek, then placed them over his chest, and continued, "But If I remove my hand, and you continue you're naughty verbal onslaught, then I will not only withhold my oth-er surprise from you, but you will spend the rest of tonight and tomorrow.. in the bath-room. Understand?"

As he removed his hand from her mouth, she ignored his question, and instead asked one of her own, "O-other surprise? I... I don't like your surprises".

He scoffed, with a fake hurt look as he said, "Fine; but this is a gif _t_ not just a surprise".

He released her from his grip then, and dug in his coat's pocket while she rubbed her sore wrists. She was looking at the red marks on her skin from the leather gloves when she heard him clear his throat for her attention, and she considered ignoring him, but knew that was pointless, so she looked up at him from a mere two feet away with a resentful expression on her face that instantly changed to shock at seeing what he was holding in his outstretched hand;

A purple velvet box with a teeny tiny light inside to illuminate something that made her inner five year old squeal, but also made her heart sink at the same time... Inside was nestled a thin silver banded ring with a large amethyst in the center, and little pinprick sized clusters of small diamonds around it. She looked from the jewels up into his intense, dark brown eyes that glinted with a fierce, sinister light that frightened her to her core.

She hastily stepped back, and stuttered out, "It's beautiful, thank you. But I-I.." She didn't know what to say; she was in shock.

He cocked his head, and licked his ruby red lips, stepping closer to her as he asked quietly, "You, what? I picked it out myself not even over the internet or anything, I went in the shop and offered them $10,000 above what they were asking, but for some reason they wouldn't accept". He shrugged, feigning innocence. "They insisted I don't give them any money, and they didn't want 'any trouble'. But guess what? I left the money anyways. It's amazing what people will do for you when you have the reputation I do, and after you...kill their wife". He smiled devilishly, as he ran a finger over her wet cheek and cooed, "Doesn't that just, uh, make you feel all warm inside, Em-ilyy?"

Of course he didn't accept the money: He was The Joker! He were terrified for his life after his wife had been murdered right in front of him. She shook her head in bafflement.

He slowly, painfully brought his leather clad fingers to close around the cheek they were resting on as he growled out, "Then you don't... Like my gift?"

She knew the wrong answer would be disastrous; she saw the look in his eyes, so she shook her head as best she could, and said quietly, "That's not it, I just think it's too much, and I..." It was killing her to get these words out. "I don't... Deserve something like that". Ridiculously, the thought of 'I'm not good enough' kept repeating over and over in her mind, destroying the fight she felt, and crushing her confidence. It was something she'd struggled with for a long time, and she needed some sort of comfort, even if it came from him.

The Joker's demeanor turned almost instantly from anger, to mock-sympathy as he loosened on her cheek but kept his hand there, leaning his forehead on her's he looked into her eyes as he said with fake sweetness, "Aw, I can assure you, sweetie; you do. Remember what I said on the way here, something about no woman ever has even been close to as worthy of my attentions as you are? Hm? Do you remember when I said that-uh?"

She pulled her head back, and turned away as he released her face to tell her in a sing-song voice, "Em-ilyy, give me your hand".

She turned to him shakily, and rubbed the back of her right hand a moment before presenting it to him. But she heard him sigh exasperatedly, and say to her in a condescending tone, "The oth-er one, Em".

Her breath hitched, but she did as he said to and relinquished it to him, watching as he deftly clasped her much smaller hand in his huge, slender one, she saw him already taking out the ring and then sliding it pointedly slow over her ring finger on her left hand. Once it was pushed all the way back, and fitting perfectly which was no surprise, he stared at her hand almost hungrily, and rubbed his thumb over the skin on her fingers just underneath the silver band.

His eyes all of a sudden flicked up to look into her's from beneath his brow as he threatened her in a growl, "I ne-ver want to see you without this on, or hear about it being off. Understood?" His fingers tightened on her once again, making the ring's sides press painfully into her pinky and middle finger.

She winced, and nodded quickly in acceptance, he gave a cheeky grin in response, and after another quick warning squeeze, he released her hand to stare at her a moment before he reached to grasp her shoulders and pull her into a hot kiss that lasted an excruciatingly long time, but her head wasn't focused on that, really.

As he pulled back with a seeming happy sigh, he embraced her, and started to run his fingers up and down her back. She focused on the ring glinting on her finger, as she held the hand up a bit to stare at it, and as she did, the muscle pumping blood in her chest gave a painful tug; this ring, and where it sat on her hand was supposed to signify the direct line to your heart, that your heart belongs to someone, you are theirs and they are yours. Her heart cared nothing for him, and she was certain his (what was left of it) didn't care for her in that way, either. And it hurt with an almost physical pain to her that she was broadcasting to the world that someone held her heart in their hands, and that someone was an actual psychopath, with no heart or morals of his own. He was surely just using this as a way of showing everyone that she was his, and the thought made her shiver but not just from the direction her thoughts were going, but also the cold; it had started to drizzle lightly.

He pulled them apart from the embrace, and smiled devilishly at her as he asked playfully, " _Cold,_ huh?"

She looked at him, and nodded without speaking; not trusting her voice enough at the moment.

He rubbed a hand down her arm, feeling the goosebumps, and said suddenly, "Well, let's go back home, then".

They turned back the way they had come walking apart from each other, when she felt a warmth, and weight on her shoulders, and she looked down to see purple, then she was turned to face The Joker as he started buttoning the top buttons of his overcoat, but she quickly tried to take it off and hand it back as she said, "No, it's fine. I'm fine, I don't need this".

But he easily kept it closed around her, saying reprimandingly to her, "No. Don't be stubborn, Em. Do you want to get a cold and have to be taken care of by me again, hm?"

She slumped her shoulders, and allowed him to finish buttoning up the overcoat without a struggle. She registered that it was really so much heavier than he made it look; it weighed down her shoulders, and nearly dragged on the ground as a result of her short height. She hadn't wanted to wear it because she didn't like using his things for comfort, it felt... weird, and the coat also smelled like... death, in every sense of the word. Though it was very warm, and effectively stilled her shivers; the Joker was always warm like he was constantly running a slight fever and overheated. It was strange to think of him as warm since he was always seeming cold in manner, and attitude.

He pulled away from buttoning and slid an arm around her shoulders as he said in a signing, nasal voice, "What a day".

And for once, she had to agree with him; today had consisted of strange happenings. Or at least, one thing about today had been out of the ordinary; her ring.

She looked down at it, and thought of what this could mean, especially of what she should do as a result. As they walked back to the warehouse... Back to home.


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: read chapter 2**

 **I don't know what to say to all of you except; Thanks From The Bottom of My Heart! To me, you are all more than just names on Fanfiction that read, or review the chapters of my story; you're like the bright stars of my days, and it reaches a soft place in my heart when you guys tell me about what parts of each chapter either spoke, or touched you, and even if you're only reviewing with a critique; that's great, too! This story is close to my heart, and when I said a few chaps back that I'm excited to see what you guys think of the end, that does NOT mean this story is even CLOSE to finished. There are many things I need to address yet, and we are in the middle of something here.**

 **(Sorry about the rambling, I hope you enjoy this, at least a little bit!"**

 **))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))**

They both lay under the sheets with her back against his chest, and him trailing his bare fingers up and down her arm as she fought the shivers that she knew would give away how uncomfortable this made her. They had gotten into bed together a few minutes ago, and they both went into the now familiar routine of him rubbing her as they waited for sleep to claim her first as it often did before he would eventually fall asleep as well.

While they laid against each other, she forced herself to forget the wide-awake man behind her who was playing with her hair, and instead she thought of other things. What has her life become? What was the point of it all?

As she was about to fall asleep to the feel of his breath against her neck, and his fingers on her, those fingers went from her head, to lay over her collar bone, and from there they inched lower and lower, until they hit a spot that made her breath hitch in her throat, and her eyes widen in alarm. Soon after, he grew tired of this position, and roughly shoved her into her back to lean over her, and straddle her the same way he had some time ago.

She had known that this night, and what was to come would not wait forever, but knowing this did nothing to lessen her terror that consumed her entirely in this moment. She forced her body to fight his clearly superior strength as his mouth attached itself to her neck.

Flailing her legs, and pushing against him obviously did little to slow him in any way. And as she was about to shove again, a ripping, burning sensation tore from her wound near her gut that most of the time she had all but forgotten by now.

She ceased fighting to shriek at the top of her lungs, then as the last whisper of air left her, she went completely limp, and just lay there with tears down her cheeks, and trying very hard to not scream again as she felt the pain emanating from multiple points on her body. And they were eating her up. Some were caused by him as his hands roamed, groped, squeezed, and pinched her.

As he pulled back briefly to undo his pants, she raised misty eyes to his blood smeared mouh, disheveled hair, and gleaming black eyes filled with hunger, to whisper one last effort to stop him in a beg, "Please... don't do this".

He only smiled a vicious smile in response, and leaned over her again to reach under her dress skirt, and slide his hands upwards to grasp the undergarment there. She turned her head to the side, squeezing her eyes shut as she waited for her worst nightmare to come to fruition. But just before it could...

... Emily awoke in a panic, but with enough sense to stifle the scream clawing its way up her throat as she took lungfuls of breath instead. She swallowed shakily, and shivered with her whole body despite the hot temperature under the covers due to the Joker's warm arm laying over her.

She quickly looked over her shoulder to make certain it was just a dream, and she could just make out his make up free face through the penetrating darkness with a sliver of moonlight shining through the blinds. He looked in a deep enough sleep, and the way he usually looked when she would awaken from her nightmares that were becoming more frequent as the days went by.

She watched his deep, even breaths; he appeared the picture of ease, and for once she envied him. Normally she either went through feelings of resentment, fear, or wariness... sometimes even pity for him, but never envy. And her reason for envying him was that she wished she didn't have a care in the world right now, and that she could ignore, or laugh at everyone else's troubles. Just once it would be nice to be worry free.

But that was far from how she felt nowadays; she was, and she feared she always will be until the day it happens, fearing the day that he would take from her what he was no doubt just waiting for the slightest bit of consent from her before taking it. She didn't want this pain, or the pain it would induce, if he was going to do it, she actually wished he would get it over with already. Anything but this not knowing, and panic that she was feeling.

She was sure he would jump at the chance of her offering it, even though when she would ask him what he wanted from her, he would give an indirect answer, and never a straight one. She sighed as she remembered past talks with him that never amounted to anything in the way of her getting any new information out of him.

Speaking of getting information, she looked to the large dark purple gemstone ring she had been wearing for about a week by her reckoning. She could tell time by looking out the window, and how each night since the ring had been put on her finger, she has been having horrible nightmares. And they had all been centered on her, and the man next to her. She looked at him again, and felt her stomach grow queasy at thoughts of his plans for her. When asked, he would simply respond crypticly, and seeming to take great amusement from her frustration at his vague answers. But from what she understood about people like him, (and she didn't know much) it was that they couldn't love, and they felt no empathy for others. And yet, somehow he expected her to feel... some sort of affection towards him? She was certain that neither he, or she could ever achieve what he had in mind for the two of them.

For the first time, as she stared at him she rolled over to face him, instead of having her back to him so that she could take her arm out from under the covers, and lay it hesitatingly over his side as he was doing to her. She needed to feel comforted, loved, and held. It had been weeks since she's had any of that, so even though he was the source, and star of her nightmares, she still laid her head against his shoulder.

As as she did so, she froze as he responded with tightening his arm around her, and tucking his chin a bit so her head was curled under his neck. If it were any friend, or family member she would have loved the attention, in a butterflies in your stomach sort of way, as she was a very hugging kind of person when the occasion called for it, and she wanted to show affection, or if she needed comfort. Like right now. And even though he scared the life out of her, she closed her eyes to try returning to her previous sleep while clutching into him the way he was to her...

... Upon awakening a second time, her eyes blinked open as she saw that she was alone this now, and turned her head to look at the blinds to see early morning sunlight peeking through them. She yawned quietly, and as she got up, she saw a note with barely adequate, messy handwriting on it. It read:

 _Morning, Sunshine!_

 _Listen, I had some business to take care of, and so I won't be back for a little while. I wanted so bad to take you with, but you were so cute sleeping soundly and muttering. You didn't exactly want to let go of_ _me, I'll have you know. But worry not; I'll be back sooner than you think!_

 _In the meantime, walk around a bit, stretch those little muscles. But not for very long, gor it? And when you're not walking, play a few hands of Solitaire, take a nap, I don't care. I'll see ya really soon, honey!_

 _P.S._

 _Try anything, and trust me, I'll know._

By 'try anything' she was sure he meant like escape. But she had by now almost completely given up on that prospect; he was always one step ahead of her escape attempts. Which were pretty non-existent by now. And she was fairly certain there was no way he'd know if she tried to escape anyways, he was just saying that as a scare tactic.

She rolled her eyes at the note, and tossed it back where it was as she got up to get changed into one of her new shirts and pants. Not too long ago he had gotten her some new clothes, claiming the ones she had been wearing were starting to stink up the place. She had been just a little offended by that remark.

Once she was dressed in her favorite outfit of them all, which consisted of black leggings, a long sleeved, low hanging turquoise shirt that was soft, flowing, and really pretty to her. And of course her blue Converse shoes. And after dressing, she stood up to walk out of the room, but stopped suddenly and noted disappointedly that The Joker probably wouldn't be gone much longer since he had most likely left really early, and there wasn't much to do around here in the meantime.

She rubbed her hands together to warm them because it was getting cold, and as she did, she encountered an unfamiliar weight on one of her fingers. She looked down, and was instantly reminded of the dark purple, glinting band that sat on her finger as a sign for everyone to see. She wished she had gloves to cover it, because she didn't like the constant reminder of the person who gave it to her, and what it represents.

Shaking her head to rid it of these thoughts, she walked out the door, deciding that this room was not helping her state of mind...

... After walking through seemingly endless hallways, old and creaky doors, and getting as far away, and staying in as straight a line as possible from the bedroom door. All she wanted in this moment was to clear her head, and never again need to worry about what will happen when the clown comes home, what will happen if he's really angry about one thing or another, and most important to her; what does her future hold, if she's stuck with this man until death claims one of them, or if he got arrested again? But that still wouldn't help matters; he has proven time and again how easily he can escape when he wishes. Not to mention that the people of Gotham don't seem to have the resources, the will, or the fight needed in them to catch The Joker.

 _"Its like he could go on forever, and never stop. Like he will never quit until he either dies or..._ something _changes his mind from killing",_ she shuddered at these thoughts, and continued walking down an old, hardly used hall with dirty yellow wallpaper, and cement floors. Why bother with wallpaper if you're juse going to keep cement floors?

As she walked, and thought about inconsequential things, she noticed a door with an Exit sign over it. Her heart gave a hopeful flutter that just as quickly faded into disappointment that it was probably locked just like all the others. Still, she tried it anyways, and pushing on the bar across it, her suspicions were then confirmed; it was locked.

Her shoulders slumped, and her eyes downcast, she trudged back down the hall, intent on going back to the bedroom, and maybe staring at he wall in a mind numbing stupor until the Joker came home. All of a sudden, she halted in her tracks, and tilted her head to hear better. She had heard a sound emanating from some room on her right, and it wasn't any of the Joker's goons, of that, she was certain. No, they were loud, boisterous, and especially obnoxious, but this was a soft, scratching, and struggling sound with tiny squeaks intermixed with the other noises.

It could be a rat, she acknowledged. But that sounded too big to be a rodent, and she felt she needed to help it if it was in need, so she followed the sound. Walking slowly, and listening carefully she would stop when the sound stopped, and start walking again when it would start back up. She took note that the sound was getting more frantic, and more defined than the faint sounds she heard earlier; this animal clearly had claws, and also an unmistakable... desperate, and quiet mewling sound that it let out.

Stopping in front of a small door that she could hear the sound coming from, she reached, and turned the handle to peer inside the eight foot wide closet with empty shelving right in front of her, but no animal to be seen, and the sound had ceased. She frowned, and looked the space over again. About to close the door, and give up to head back, assuming that the Joker was back, and to put it lightly, he won't be happy if she isn't there when he gets back.

But as she turned back the sound resumed its desperate pitch, and it was originating from directly above her. She looked up to see what looked like the covered opening of an attic. A warehouse having an attic? That seemed strange, but she wasn't going to question it as she stepped towards the shelves, and placed a foot on a shelf to start using it as a ladder and climbing up. Once at the top, she raised an arm up to push against the door, and at first it wouldn't busge, but she persisted. Panting lightly, she gave one last push, and it finally went up a bit, and dust flew out the opening, causing a coughing fit in her that didn't let up for a minute, and nearly knocked her off.

After the air cleared somewhat, she stepped up some more to put both arms through the hole and hoist herself up. She slowly used the shelves, and her hands to push/pull herself up, and fully into the dark attic. He breath caught in her throat, and she put a hand to her mouth at how dark, and how smelly it was up here. She shivered a little at the darkness, but there was thankfully some old wooden shutter windows a ways away that let in the afternoon sunlight. And once her eyes adjusted somewhat she saw that this space was as big as her living room in her house in New York, and had many boxes, tools, and other miscellaneous things around.

She searched to find the source of the mewling once and for all. She didn't come up to this creepy place for nothing. And she did find the souce of the noise in the form of a short haired black and white kitten in his gangly teen months who was staring at her with wide, green eyes with one of his white paws caught in some twine than had twirled around his foot somehow, and was attached to a machine. Hopefully it didn't cut off circulation, and cause the foot to die, she worried.

Slowly walking over to the little creature, and kneeling next to it as it yanked back in fear while making a pathetic meow/yowling sound, she kneeled next to it as it pulled away as far as it could go, obviously not trusting her. It was clearly in pain though, so she ignored its protests, and lifted it so its back legs were in her lap, and she got to work quickly undoing the string from its foot. It took some time as it was struggling, and the string was wrapped around many times, but finally she got it undone, and held it a moment longer before realeasing her hands from around it. And just as she expected, it darted between two boxes to watch her fearfully from its hiding spot.

She stood slowly, putting her hands up in surrender as she said to him, "It's ok. I'm leaving now, you can go back to doing what you were doing".

She turned, but stopped when she heard a quiet, inquisitive meow from behind her. She turned so that she could watch out of the corner of her eye as the kitten slowly, stalked out from between the boxes, it sniffed her direction, and let out another meow, this one more bawling, and undecided.

She smiled, and kneeled back down, it scampered back a bit in response, but she stayed where she was and whispered soothing words; "It's alright". "No one can hurt you right now". "You're safe, come on over here".

She stopped speaking when this seemed to have no effect on it, as it sat twitching its tail, with its eyes narrowed comically. She smiled again, and decided to hum instead. And she did so, making up the tune as she went along she saw a change in it; its ears perked, and it stood up to slowly continue walking over to her. She still did not make eye contact as the kitten sniffed her hand, then looked at her face, and ever so slowly stepped onto her leg, then hopped completely into her lap where it lay down and started purring loudly.

She grinned widely for the first time in weeks, and petted its head as she said to it, "You need a name. How about-" She stopped, realizing she needed to know the sex before naming it.

Gently lifting it up from under the armpits, much to the kitten's displeasure. She searched for distinguishing signs, then smiled, and set it down as she said nicely to it, "You're a little boy. And a handsome one at that". She petted his head again, and he ceased glaring at her to continue prurring again. "I've always wanted a dog, but mom's allergic to dogs and cats. And I did always want a boy, and I wanted to name him... What was it?.. Oh! Yeah, it was Tucker". She looked at his black coat with white speckles, four white socks, with a white mouth and smiled at him saying happily, "You look like a Tucker, but Tuck for short. You also look skinny, poor guy. Let's get you some food, huh?"

She stood with him tucked lovingly in her arms, and climbed down the shelves to head to the kitchen for the first time in a long while...

... "You are one picky kitty, you know that?", she said to Tuck while staring him down, as he turned up his nose at the old meatloaf she had found, and the milk she had put out as well.

"For a starving cat you are really ungrateful". She reprimanded him teasingly.

She imagined he shrugged right before beginning to lick his sides, ignoring her for the most part. She sighed in fake exaggeration, and dug in the fridge once again, ignoring the huge red stain on the floor that completely wiped away her own appetite.

She spotted something in the back that she thought Tuck might like; turkey deli meat in a clear box. She pulled it out, looking at the one serving left, and shrugged as she put it on a paper plate to set it down in front of him. He seemed significantly more interested in this as he quickly stopped his grooming, and leaned forward to take a few nibbles before plunging in and eating ravenously.

She petted his back a bit before standing up to clean the mess and resume talking to him. He was great company, she felt. He was also really sweet behind his tough exterior, and seemed to understand that she had rescued him from starvation.

"You're welcome, mister. I hope you like that, it was probably some thug's since it was hidden in the back, and he will probably be pretty mad, so I'd get rid of the evidence if I were you". She smiled slightly in amusement as she scrubbed the dishes, and continued talking without looking behind her.

So, of course, because of her obliviousness she did not take any notice when Tuck finished eating, and his head snapped to the doorway at a peculiar smell that was coming nearer, he retreated to hide next to the fridge, making himself disappear with a quiet warning growl as he awaited something bad to happen, for he could positively sense some evil presence nearby.

When she turned off the water after doing the dishes, she turned her head, expecting to find her kitten, but he was nowhere to be found. And as her back was turned to rhe door, she had no knowledge of the person coming behind her with their eyes fixed on the back of her head. And when two arms wrapped themselves around her middle, pulling her into a hard chest, she jumped a bit, with a slight squeak of fear mixed with surprise as the person sniffed the top of her head, and hummed in satisfaction after doing so.

"Where have you been, _hmm?"_ He asked with his mouth to her ear, and in a quiet, nasally voice. "I've been waiting in the room for-ever". His voice suddenly turned dark, and his arms tightened painfully as if to assure himself that she was here, and she wasn't going anywhere, "And _youu_ weren' **t.** Therrre".

His is arms loosened just enough to twirl her around in his arms so he could see her blank face as he asked with feigned attentiveness, "Care to, uh, ex- _plain_?" His eyebrows raised like he knew her answer wouldn't be to his liking.

She had a few choices at the moment. One is, she could lie and let him find out about her kitten later, or (and this option terrified her) she could tell him now, and ask in the nicest way possible if she can keep him, because she really likes having the kitten around; then she wouldn't be lonely when she's by herself for hours anymore. But that would risk him saying outright no, and that would be the end of it. But she needed to say _something_ because he looked a tad suspicious behind his anger, and he was probably thinking she was meeting someone in here.

She was not comfortable with what she was about to do, especially because he was the first guy who had shown interest in her, (of course, that interest has turned into something unhealthy for the both of them, but that's beside the point) but no matter her discomfort, she had to assuage his doubt. Preferably before he did something drastic like kill five of his goons, which she had witnessed him do just recently.

With this in mind, she leaned in to greet him first with a kiss, which she'd never done before so she closed her eyes, not watching his slightly surprised expression. His hands were on her shoulders, and she had to stand on her tip toes to reach his lips since he normally leaned down to reach her's, and placed her dry lips over his moist, red grease-painted ones. Moving her lips, it took him all of half a second to respond fiercely, and move one hand to her back, with the other gripping her hair on the back of her head almost painfully.

She tried not to cringe when his tongue would do things she wasn't at all experienced with, or when he would let out a non-aggressive, gutteral growl from deep in his chest, or when his gloved hand went under her shirt's back, and skimmed all over to feel, and pull her flush against his chest. She'd freeze whenever his fingers would go over her bra strap, but once realizing that's all they were doing, she would force herself to relax, and wait it out.

Finally, with a last, lingering kiss with her upper lip between his, he released them, to pull back, and look down at her in a mixture of excitement, lust, and still mild surprise. He ran a hand through her longer hair, and smiled a little as he asked, "Did I do something to deserve that from you? What's this about? No arguing, or yelling today from you?"

She looked into his eyes to make this more believable as she a half truth in a rush, "You seemed... tense".

"So do you".

He moved to stand behind her, making the hair rise on her arms at having her back exposed to a predator. But he started to massage her shoulders, and ask suggestively, "You tried help-ing with my tenseness, what do you say, we should see about doing something for yours, hmm?"

She broke away as he started to rub way too hard for her, and looked at his quietly laughing face, and said to him strongly, "I'm just fine, actually. Thanks, though".

"Rea-lly? Are you surrre? Because I can-"

A distinct, loud, and very obvious meow rang in the small room, and The Joker stopped speaking, and turned his head to glance behind him slightly, and there was nothing immediately apparent, so he turned back around to his Emily standing not too far away, and very obviously afraid.

He felt almost immediate thrill, and excitement shoot through him at such blatant terror, especially as it came from her; he took an almost unbelievable amount of pleasure from any passion she showed, and he felt that maybe sooner than he'd thought she would feel... a passion of some sort for him. The ideas of what could come after that were almost too exciting to wait for her to give in and instead simply force her into it. But he could be patient when the time called for it, and now was the time to wait.

Referring to the noise, he asked her playfully, and watched her shiver at his tone that clearly implied mischief, "Keeping secrets from me, are you? I thought we were... close-er than that".

He slowly walked backwards to investigate further, but she was going to try stopping his as she said sarcastically, and with a little annoyance lacing her tone, "We were close once? Sorry, I guess I missed that in our time together".

"Someone's in a bad mood". He snickered a bit.

She glared, and stepped up to him as she asked unhappily, "Besides the bull-crap excuse you give everyone of why it is you do what you do, give me the real reason! Why do you do these things? They won't make you truly happy in the long run". She wasn't even sure herself if she believed the words she spoke, but they felt right, so they had therefore left her mouth.

He raised a painted brow, and snoted in amusement. His scars stretched as he smiled, and said slyly, "Well as you can see, I'm clearly always ha-ppy. But you know, it's true; I was in a bit of a... how do I put this?.. a rut, ever since The _Bat_ ab-and-oned this city. But that's why (in the words of my friend Pengy; Mr. Oswald)". His voice turned pompous as he mocked the Penguin's accent in his nasally voice, "I acquired you". He lifted her left hand, and locked his eyes on her ring as he finished in a purr, "My companion ".

He asked one last question in what could only be described as a mocking tone, "What did you have to go back to, anyways? Without me, what ex-actly would there be for you out there". He licked his lips, and smiled a yellow-toothed grin, still staring at the silver band.

She yanked her hand back, and his eyes snapped to her's, still smiling at her as she said through watery eyes, and a quavering voice, she tried to snarl out at him, "Don't. Start that. Do not. Even go there".

He turned his head, and looked at her sideways as he said with fake-sweetness, "Whatever you say, _sweetie_. We both know the answer anyways. Don't we?"

She didn't answer as she stood glaring at him, and he just looked at her in genuine amusement as he said suddenly, and in an irritatingly reprimanding tone, "Now, who was it you were talking to in here, or was it yourself? Am I rubbing off on you, already?"

"I don't know what you're talking about", she said defiantly, and with her chin raised.

She watched as he raised a black painted brow and faced the fridge, right before punching it suddenly, rattling the contents inside, and sending her sweet cat scurrying out, and past him to run into her arms as she bent down, and scooped him up. Tuck's paws were laying against her chest, and then he turned his head to hiss warnings at the amused, and slightly bemused clown.

The Joker walked over to her, and looked at the little creature that tensed as he came closer to the two of them.

"Where did you find that, hm?"

She clutched him closer at the clown's dangerous tone, and stuttered out, "I f-found him caught in some wires that were in the building". No need to tell him exactly where, or how far she had gone. "He would have died if I hadn't found him..."

The Joker gave her an innocent look, and simply asked, "So?"

She frowned at that, and said in a deathly quiet voice, "Let me guess, you were one of those serial killers who started off getting your fix in your younger sociopathic years by killing, and maiming your, or your neighbors innocent animals, is that it? Well, this one is mine, and I'll be damned if I let you take the only friend I have from me".

He narrowed his eyes at her in warning, before giving off an evil smile, and cupping her cheek as she flinched from his touch but held still, and listened worriedly as he started to speak in a playful, but at the same time dangerous tone, "Ac-tually I was a more... _refined_ budding killer, and I didn't go around and beat other little kids' pets. No no no, I got my... _Fix_ as you put it, in o-ther ways". She felt sick at the look on his face when he said that. "As for the rest of your un-fortunate outburst; I like that you're _soo_ determined to keep the thing that you're acting like an ungrateful child. Let me say, good for you. But I had no idea you were lonely, why didn't you say something, hm? Well, no worries. Now that I know, we can spend all day together, that should make you feel alll be-tter!"

He released her face then, and clasped his gloved hands as he asked excitedly, "What do you think? Scratch that, how about instead of te-lling me, you give me a great big smile, huh? Come on, show it to me".

He waited expectantly, and Emily didn't see any other option, and she wanted him to let her keep her cat. But the only way he'd say yes, would be if he was in a good mood, and she did what he said, so she gave the most fake, forced smile she could manage under the circumstances. He smiled widely in response, and patted her cheek a bit as he said teasingly, "See, that's be-tter, isn't it? Doesn't it feel great to smile all the time?"

Her fake smile faltered, and she allowed her kitten to leap out of her arms, onto the counter next to them, as she thought over what to say next.

But she never got the chance, as he grabbed her wrist, and pulled her behind him saying in an agreeable tone, "Let's start spending time together right now, we can get to know each other better in the office for awhile. You've really been alone far too long to-day, you know".

She felt the disappointment she normally felt in her when she would find out she had to spen a whole boring day sitting and watching him 'work'. And all because he 'likes having her around'.

While walking down the hall at a brisk pace, she remembered the important thing from earlier, and tugged her wrist a bit that was still in his hand, and he glanced at her sideways when she did so, and as he did, she begged, "You never answered me about my cat. Can I keep him, please?"

His smile he gave looked altogether too evil to mean anything good, and her suspicions were confirmed as he said suggestively, "Even though I think-uh I am perfect company for you, I miiight just let you keep it. If..."

She almost regretted asking this before the words even left her lips, "If', what..?"

"If you do something for me".

She wasn't stupid, she knew this would probably be uncomfortable, painful, or bad for her, but she really wanted the baby cat, so she said in a defeated way, "Fine, but what is it?"

He pulled her closer by the hand, and put his face very close as he said mysteriously, "Ohhh, nothing much. You'll see" He winked at her, before continuing to tug her behind him down the hall...

... It turned out that he wanted her to rub his shoulders. She knew he didn't really need, or even want a way to get relaxed, he just liked the level of control he had over her, and that he could make her do something that made her feel extremely awkward. Because he was very controlling. Anyone could see that. And he did like messing with her, as is evident by the many strange things he says.

And while she stood on the tips of her toes to reach his shoulders, and try to do an ok job, nervous because earlier, when she had first started, he had said teasingly, "No need to be sooo ten-tative. Push. Harder". And so she did, giving it all she had, and feeling his back that had lean muscles all over it, she admitted that she wouldn't blame him if he did actually need a rub; he had knots, and tension all over. Probably because he was always jittery, and tense, she thought with a shrug.

She he just wanted to get this over with, and get a definitive answer out of him about her cat. She was also dreading his answer too; what if he said the little kitten needed to die? She couldn't handle that thought; she wanted to have Tuck for a friend in this place, she hasn't seen hardly anyone over the past two weeks except The Joker, and that worried her; she has suspicions that he thins out his band of thugs once in a while, and the thought repulsed her.

Wanting to get her mind off of blood, and death she asked the first question she could think of at the moment, and one that had been nagging her ever since before she had gotten sick, "What is happening in Gotham right now?"

Her question didn't faze him in the slightest as he continued to move his hands, and grumble to himself. Taking awhile to answer, he said at length, "In, uh, wha **t** way?"

She sighed. "After everything you've done recently, what is this place like now, and what are you planning? And while I'm asking these things; what part do I play in it all?"

She could feel his laugh from deep in his chest, through his back, and she removed her hands finally, and let them fall to her sides as he turned around to look at her.

He he cuffed her (lightly for him) on the face, and said in amusement, "Who says you need to play a part in what happens to this city, hm? Have you ever thought that maybe, just may-be I don't need an actual re-ason for doing what I do, and that includes having you around?" She frowned at that; it was the last thing she wanted to hear. There wasn't even a point to her presence here?

Before she could voice an arguement to his words, he started speaking again, and gesturing with his right hand as he got excited, "Well, this is Gotham. So, I'm not sure what to tell ya except that it's pretty much a waste of space; the people here, deep down some of them may be worse than me, they just don't show it as obviously as I do, and without our dear Commissioner, mayor, or the dear dear Bat-man.. I'm afraid this city will go to Hell in a hand basket by this time next year, while I, enjoy it all with you by my side".

"You have a funny way of answering without really answering", she ground out, but with a tinge of sadness.

"Call it a gift".

She scoffed, and turned her back onhim with her arms folded, she was really sick of his games, and his persona. A thought came to her then, and she wondered for the first time; 'what's his real name, anyways?'.

"What was that?"

Shoot. She'd said that out loud. Her face heated a bit, but now that it was out there, she asked in a whisper, "What is your name?"

She heard his echoing hyena laugh, and his giggles as he answered, "I know you can get distracted easily, but really? You know my name; everyone does! It's-"

"No! Your real one. Please tell me".

... "Jesse".

Her head snapped around, and she scrutinized his rarely straight face, then she sighed and turned back around as she said sadly, "You're lying".

He grasped her arms, and turned her around as he tried to catch her eye with his, and said in mock sadness, "Aw, don't be sad". He rubbed her cheek asking, "What can I do to turn that frown upside down, huh?"

She looked into his dark eyes swimming with mischief, and said through the ache in her chest, "Tell me the truth".

The Joker's brows furrowed, and he sighed exasperatedly, as he leaned against the work table, and grumbled, "I was think-ing of cheering you up with some-thing more along the lines of..." His voice turned less grumbling, and more cheeky, "Things that happen un-der the covers, so to speak. Doesn't that sound much better to you, Em?"

He saw her straight face, and smiled slyly as he said with heavy sarcasm, "It may or may not be Jack, if you must know. It can be so hard to tell at times".

Her eyes narrowed a bit, and she quickly processed his words. She was not about to believe a thing he said unless she had to, but she did admit to herself that his words seemed to ring with truth as he said this, and it made her uncomfortable that she was getting better and better at telling when he was lying, and when he was telling the truth.

Her face clearly showed her disgust, fear, and sadness that his previous words, and her thoughts had brought on. He noticed this immediately, and pouted in feigned disappointment, and reached to grasp her head between his two hands, as he said with feigned worry in his voice, "I really hate seeing you upset, Em-ilyy. How about a kiss to take your mind off things?"

He leaned in with a devilish smirk, but she was not about to let him get away with not answering her first question, so just as his lips were reaching, and pressing on her's, she broke away harshly, and stepped back with her face heating up as she said quickly before he could say anything, "First, answer this".

He leaned against the table with an exasperated sigh, and gestured for her to continue, before crossing his arms.

She straightened, and looked him in the eye as best she could, despite her short height, before asking him, "Can I keep my cat?"

He raised a brow, and cocked his head as he asked with barely suppressed amusement, "Let me ask a question then; why do you want ver-min running around here?"

"He is not vermin! I already told you why I want him; so that I will have a friend around when I'm alone". Her voice, and eyes lowered at her next words, "He's probably more civilized, and clean than the thugs you have around here anyways".

His answer was not at all what she expected as he chuckled and said in response, "That's not a bad point, I've got to ad-mit".

She looked up wide-eyed as he stared at the ceiling, appearing to think it over. After a while, he smiled mischievously, and said with clear excitement, "Alright, he can stay I guess. But he is not allowed in the bedroom, and you'll owe me for this".

He raised his brows, waiting for a response, or some gratitude. She was so shocked it took her thirty seconds before snapping out of it, and nodding in agreement as she smiled slightly as said simply, "Thank you".

He raised a gloved finger, and said devilishly in his nasal tone of voice, "No need to say anything. You can , uh, thank me in _other_ ways".

She understood immediately, and warily stepped forward with her smile gone as she leaned up to meet him halfway for the kiss. And as their lips moved with him taking almost complete control, she thought to herself that even though she had to give him something in return, this (at least) was a step towards getting other, better things from him. Like more freedom, perhaps. She had to hope at least, because if not, what did she have at all to keep her going?...

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 **I hope that gave you a bit more insight into their 'relationship'.**

 **Thanks again to followers, favers, REVIEWERS! You guys are great, and you make me so eager to continue writing each chapter!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: read chapter 2**

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Five thugs sat in the large, dim front room of the warehouse playing cards as far away from the Boss' room as possible while they passed the time before the next heist that they were a part of. They never thought anything suspicious was happening whenever it was just The Joker and a couple thugs leaving and only the Boss would return. They just figured that he was really good at what he does, and the guys he took with him weren't.

"Hey, you know, guys", Bernie, the skinniest of the bunch sitting at the small card table, with his shaggy blondish/white hair hanging in his eyes, and a cigarette sticking out of his mouth as he exclaimed excitedly, "I think that girl that the boss has likes me".

"My gosh", George, said around his hot dog, and tossing his dark brown hair out of face while he rolled his eyes at his friend and everyone else ignored them. "Do you really count glaring at you when you ran into each other the other day and you saying something inappropriate that made her slap you, and glare in response counts as her 'liking you'?". Finishing his hotdog, he continued with a full mouth, and a scowl at his friend, "And besides that, do you seriously not remember what happened to the last guy who talked about her in any way, and the boss found out?"

The group of goons gave a collective shudder at the memory of the poor soul who- a mere few days ago- had whispered to another thug that he thought the boss' girl was hot, and then someone told their boss this, and that very person had been found carved into until he had apparently died from blood loss, making the torture last longer, and with his fingers, and ears missing. Each of the goons had been sent one of that unfortunate person's appendages with a smiley face drawn onto it as a clear warning to anyone else who dared do the same thing.

"And that guy wasn't even talking to her, but you did! Now, I've seen some things, but I don't want to even think of what the boss will do about your encounter with her the other day", George finished in a fearful, exasperated manner.

"If he finds out", Bernie snorted.

"Why are you so worked up about this anyways?", one of the newer thugs, a short man who was starting to bald though he couldn't be more than thirty demanded of the other man.

"Hey, testosterone can drive a man to follow a woman to Thailand", Bernie said, with fake pride. "It's just a fact".

Mikey, who had been sitting silently this whole time feeling torn; he didn't want the other men to get killed over their foolish talking, but he was also disgusted that they were speaking of a teen this way, so he said, "A woman? Do I have to remind you guys she's only eighteen?"

"Hey, I've seen her bedroom, and her closet; to me she seems like a woman. And one I'd date", Bernie said confidently, with everyone staring at him in confusion.

"First off, she doesn't have a closet here, so what are you talking about?" Mikey demanded.

"You guys didn't know? Well, remember when he told us to grab those girls off the street?" Everyone nodded hesitantly, wondering where he was going with this.

"Well, about a month before that, and I know you guys were wondering why he would out of the blue tell us to go grab some girls off this street, seeing as he was never that interested in the whores we'd bring here sometimes, but that's not true; he didn't actually do this out of the blue", he waited smugly for their inevitable questioning.

"Are you saying..." Mikey asked hesitantly, in growing worry.

"Yep; he stalked her. And I don't mean just over the Internet (though he did do that). He also sent me, and a couple other guys to her house's address he had found, and told us to put up these barely noticeable security cameras all over her house, and the houses of her very few friends when they weren't home, and if they did come home, we were supposed to just shoot 'em. He had the live feed streamed to these screens in a room somewhere in here, but I don't know where he got all this tech from? It's so cool. And that's what I mean by me seeing her closet, because I was one of the few guys sent over there to wire the stuff up", he was clearly proud, and boastful about being hand picked by The Joker for an important job, but nobody else would be so excited to do an easily screwed up job for their boss who had quite a temper on him if someone did something wrong.

"Well what I'm wondering is, why did he do all this for her?" Another thug spoke up, and everyone mumbled in agreement.

"I swear I saw a cat around here, too. Does he also like cats, or something now?"

"Why would he go all crazy over one girl, anyways?"

"Ha, I couldn't care less why he likes her. All I know is, I hate that kid for attracting him to her, or whatever you call it, 'cause it hasn't softened him none".

"I know right! If anything, now I'm more afraid of him than before he had his little slut".

"So what, guys? What could we do about it, anyways? No use, complaining. So, shut it!", one of the grouchiest of them all said in annoyance.

Bernie scratched his stubbly chin as a thought occurred to him. "Maybe we can do something about her".

Everyone was staring at him with different expressions ranging from disgust, excitement, anticipation, and awe as they thought over what he just said. Only one could choke out the question on everybody's mind, "How would we do that?"

Bernie smiled, and leaned forward with his arms folded on the table as he said to his pals, "Simple; we wait for a time when we know the boss won't be around, and then we find her... and kill her after we have some fun".

They all smile at this, and looked at each other in agreement. All but one. Mikey stood, and almost yelled, but he knew the boss was around so instead he said quietly, and viciously, "Are you out of your mind? How do you know he won't be even more angry and quick tempered when she's gone, instead of less angry like you're hoping?"

One of the goons next to Bernie spoke out in a snort, "Oh, yeah, because the boss really cares what happens to a little girl. Besides, he won't know we did it. He'll just think she ran away... And of course the body won't be anywhere obvious". He and Bernie grinned at that.

Miky flung his chair back, and stalked out of the room, saying to himself in a hiss, "They're all crazier than him!"

They watched him go, wondering what got into him before shrugging, and resuming their talk of mutiny. Meanwhile, Mikey realized worriedly that he had a decision to make; should he be loyal, and a snitch so that he can tell the boss their plans? Or should he keep his mouth shut like he normally would, and let it play out. Then Emily's face came to his mind's eye, and he almost smiled at thoughts of her kind eyes, and sweet smile. He didn't want anything terrible to happen to her, especially since her and the Jokker seemed past him ever killing her. And Mikey knew then what he had to do. Squaring his shoulders, he headed towards where he knew his boss to most likely be. A room that only he, and the Joker himself had ever been in, and he'd only been in there once because the Joker had told him to bring him a snack one time...

... The Joker was ... Extremely annoyed, to put it lightly at the moment. He would almost be willing to spend the evening with his thugs instead of watching this. Emily was asleep right now, otherwise he might be with her. But even if she was awake, he wouldn't have her in here with him anyways. This was not for her eyes.

Even though now he had Emily, and there was no reason to watch her old home in NY via security cameras installed in and outside her house. However, once in a while he feels the urge to check up on her family she cared for so much. Maybe it was out of jealousy that they had the attention from her that he may never have, maybe it was that he was hoping that one day when he turns these screens on, he will see them on the floor in pools of their own blood, or maybe he'll do that himself one of these days. That thought brought a grin onto his already permanent smiling face.

Yes, it would be so satisfying to go over there when he's not busy and carve permanent smiles into their faces, and then watch as they chocked on their own blood, the same way he had all those years ago. But if he looked deep into his black soul, he grudgingly noted that he would probably never do that no matter how much he had threatened to. And the reason he knew he wouldn't was because of Emily. He was well aware that she had spoken truthfully when she said she wouldn't ever forgive him for such an act. And it wasn't necessarily her forgiveness he cared for per se, more that he didn't want a mindless drone around here. He had enough of those in the form of his thugs. No, he wanted her to keep her feisty, cute, and wild attitude, and he knew that if he killed her parents, especially in the gruesome way he had in mind, then she would fall into some form of mental craziness. And. That. Was. Not. What. He. Wanted.

But he was oh so tempted. His shoulders were tense, and his black eyes rimmed with black were narrowed in dangerous anger as he watched these scumbag parents. He had watched, and replayed the tapes as they called on the phone for hours on end, watched as they wept, though the woman more so, and held each other as they did. They barely slept, they often held pictures of a baby girl he assumed to be Emily, and they continued to cry over that until just a week ago the wife had fallen into an apparent state of numbness. Staring at the wall for hours, no evidence on her face of what was going through her mind exactly. The man had tried everything to snap her out of it but she never budged.

And obviously the Joker had found it humorous at first how they tried so desperately to get her back, but of course they had no clue just who had ownership of their daughter, and that had been funny for a time. When he needed an extra laugh, that is. But over time he had grown increasingly angry, irrationally so, and watching them with growing hate; how dare they think they know her well enough to mourn her loss, how could they even think they are worthy of her love?

At that thought, his arm swept angrily over the papers, and keyboards on the desk in front of the screens, and he let out a long, low guttural growl from the bowels of his anger; she was his now. No one. Else's. They should just accept that, and give her up because certainly never will.

" _Ugh, it'd be great if this feeling went away sometime soon here",_ he thought grouchily to himself.

It was so strange to him, and it also disgusted him how quickly he can go from being indifferent around her, to possessive, protective, and obsessive over his Emily. He had never felt any reason to be jealous before, except once when he felt the mob was getting too much of the Bat's attention but that was it. Before he became who he was now, there was absolutely no one he had felt he wanted around for fun, and that had been fine with him. Then, when he became this, The Joker, he had hired thugs and whatnot from time to time, but they all met their ends the same way. Then the Bat-man came along and at first he had been an obstacle in his plans of destruction, but then The Joker had seen the beauty, and joys of having his most worthy adversary to fight against. To have the one standing in his way in the battle for Gotham's soul that he still felt he will win.

And then his play buddy left. With no warning no nothing! He just gave up. What kind of 'hero' just gives up when things don't go their way? Could it have been something the Joker did? He didn't think so; he had done many horrible things, and so why would his opponent just give up? But that didn't matter now, nor does the rage he had felt at the news that the Batman hadn't been seen for months. That doesn't matter now because he has someone else, thank you very much. Someone else to spend somewhat lonely days with, to tease, to play with, touch, feel... kiss. At the thought of her, his black mood lifted slightly, and he remembered all the reasons why he has her; at first it was her stirring words he had heard over the internet, and they'd inspired these current events in Gotham. Then, after he had watched her on screens for some weeks, he grew more interested in this loner girl, and was curious about her.

On a whim he had called up her best friend he had looked up, and she had been far easier to deal with than you'd think. Afterwards, it was a simple matter of waiting, then when the time was right and she was here, he coordinated with her friend to get them in a particular street, at a particular time. Quite a bit of this Emily did not know, and one thing she didn't was that he had told a couple of his thugs that if they wanted the blonde friend, they could have her. Then finally having his Emily physically here was the most exciting thing to happen in months. But growing... attached to her while she was here was something he hadn't expected, and when she was near it could be so distracting. Sometimes all he could think about (and he had a very one track mind) was her. Her eyes, smile, hair., even her smell; like oranges and spice. And he would occasionally, if he was particularly bored, imagine scenarios of the two of them wondering how she would react. She always had entertaining reactions to certain situations.

A timid knock at the door brought The Joker back to his previous black mood at being interrupted from thoughts of Emily. His head snapped to the door. "What?!", he barked, in a rough, nasally voice.

A quiet, "Boss, there's something you might want to hear..."

Now his interest was slightly piqued, and he said in a clipped tone, "Come in, then".

Mikey scurried in, and quickly shut the door behind him, then stood with his head down, and wringing his hands in obvious discomfort. The Joker stared, waiting for him to speak already, but when nothing was forthcoming, his annoyance returned tenfold, and barely restraining himself from strangling the other man, he ground out one word in a question, "Well?"

Mikey quickly looked up, and seemed to think over his words for a moment as he stared at the taller, more imposing man, then he said hastily, "I j-just wanted to tell you that, um... t-the guys are m-making plans against you..."

The Joker's frown lifted, and he snickered evilly, stepping forward, he asked quietly, in an eerie tone, "What kind of plans, hm? And who _exactly_ would attem-pt such a thing?"

Mikey quickly spit out the names. The Joker asked impatiently, "Who. Is the... _instigator?_ "

"B-Bernie, sir".

The Joker smiled a yellow-toothed grin, and let out a happy sigh at the thought of a challenge, then it occurred to him; "Mik-ey.. You never told me what _kind_ of plans they're con-cocting..?"

If Mikey wasn't nervous before, he definitely was now. His eyes widened, and his breathing quickened. The Joker crossed his arms, with raised eyebrows, prompting him wordlessly to answer. And Mikey did, hesitantly tell him everything the other men had said about him and.. Emily.

The Joker's amused expression fell, his eyes darkened, and narrowed. His red lip curled in a snarl. Mikey saw the warning signs of danger, and hoped that his boss wouldn't unleash his anger out on him. But the worry was for nothing, it seemed as the Joker paused, cast his eyes upwards, and looked to be in deep thought for a few minutes, but it felt so long to an anxious Mikey that he began to wonder if he should leave. As he stepped back, the Joker's eyes fell to him, and he smiled once again, and saying excitedly, while throwing an arm around Miley's shoulders, "To-morrow will be a big big day, and I want you not to think anything of it if you don't see any guys around here for a while, understand?"

Mikey nodded as his boss shoved him down the hall, and turning to leave with a relieved sigh, he was stopped suddenly by a sing-song voice, "And one more thing; you'd bett-er not be ly-ing to me".

He turned to see his boss give a mocking wave, and mischievous smile, before the purple-clad clown turned on his heel, and stalked down the hall. Probably to see a certain someone...

Emily had been awake for awhile, staring at the wall in the bedroom, and she figured the Joker didn't know that, because otherwise he would probably be here. Bugging her. After the fear of him, and what he does had worn off marginally, she was able to see genuine humor, and the somewhat good jokes of his, but most of the time he was too much in her personal space, and flirty to really be enjoyable to be around. But that was probably just because she had no experience with flirting, or how to respond to a man's affections, when he, on the other hand, seemed completely at ease with all of it. She felt a bit of envy that he seemed so adept at conversing with the opposite sex, and how confident he was about it. Were all serial killers like that, she sometimes wondered.

Feeling incredibly bored, she sat up, and thought that maybe she would leave the room to do something outside of here. The Joker had given her quite a bit more freedom than before. But she felt she didn't really have the energy right now. Mentally and physically, she was exhausted. It was a serious chore having to fight her captor for anything and everything that wasn't absolutely essential; time outside, being allowed to leave his presence for short periods, and of course her cat had been an issue. That had been a huge battle, one she felt a little proud at having won. But she dismally noted that she was giving in far quicker, and easier than she would normally have before. And for the most part, she was letting him win. She wondered faintly if he would win completely over her until she couldn't even think on her own without his input. The thought made her shiver, and rub her shoulders in fear.

All of a sudden, Tuck's adorable black and white face popped in her mind, and she smiled. He was a bright light to her in this place, and now that she thought of it, he was probably thirsty. She got up to walk out, and to the room he was in.

Once in the small room next to the kitchen, with a pile of blankets in the corner for her kitten, and after she had watered, and played with him she then stood swaying, and humming an old lullaby with her kitten in her arms purring away. She wasn't sure if the song had any affect on him, but she certainly enjoyed it, she didn't know much about cats in general, or how much they really did enjoy playing with strings, and toys. He was a joy to her. She loved the simple act of picking him up, and hugging him while he purred his contentment. She didn't know if he had a family before, but he does now; she really loved him.

Breaking the calm atmosphere, he all of a sudden snapped his head up, and ceased his purring. Emily could feel his muscles tense right before he leapt out of her arms, and scurried to his blankets with his eyes fixed on the door, and his black tail puffed like a raccoon's. She felt sad at her time with him being cut short, and she distantly wondered how he had found her here. She heard his humming from down th hall, like hers though his was quicker, and more upbeat, and as it got closer she faced the doorway with lowered eyes, and waited.

His brown shoes echoed on the floor as he walked up to her, then stopped, and reached a purple gloved hand to lift her chin to his face so he could see her eyes. He smiled when she looked up, and asked her playfully, "Why didn't you wait for me before leaving the room? You really worried me, you know".

"You? Worried? I'd believe that when I see it for myself".

"Aw, you don't be-lieve me, Em?", he asked in fake hurt, placing a hand over his chest.

She shook off his hand, and answered him in an annoyed manner, "No, actually. But if you gave me reason to, then maybe I would believe what you have to say".

"Now that hurts, it really hurts that you don't believe my words, _sweetheart_ ", he said mischievously.

"Really?", she asked, disbelievingly.

"Not really. Now let's blow this place. No, I don't mean that literally", he added in amusement at seeing her face. He wanted to take them somewhere because he noticed her low-key mood, and wanted to do something about it. Something that would turn that frown into one of her lovely smiles.

She felt the pressure of the ring on her left hand painfully as he grasped it, and pulled her behind him as she stared at the bottom of his billowing purple coat.

Emily had at first been unhappy, and assuming he would take her to witness him do something horrible, or to show his power over her in some way. She most definitely had not been expecting this however.

They were going down a walkway lit with elegant lamps through a small park near the neighborhood by the warehouse. He kept a light grip on her left bicep to keep her from straying, and watched her beautiful smile creep onto her pink lips just as he had wanted, as she stared at the pond that would normally have ducks in it during the day. This was actually a nice park for the Narrows. It wasn't very well known by most people, and it was small, with the houses around the park rundown, and most uninhabited. But even the Joker knew it was nice enough at night, and that she would like it.

His mind, admittedly, had been somewhat occupied the past few days, and he had been distracted from spending 'quality time' with his Emily. And he wasn't sure, nor did he care about the cause of her more silent mood lately, or how she smiled less and less, or how when he said something to intentionally goad her she would disappoint him by only nodding, and giving single word responses.

He figured a quick night out might change that, and even if it meant a little time off working, so be it. A somewhat mocking, and indulgent smile crept onto his own face as he watched her stare in wonderment at the stars, the moon reflecting on the water, and the large trees in this place. Even if she was smiling now, as he'd said earlier; he felt that her smile did not come as easily anymore, and he was going to do something to change it.

Suddenly, at thoughts of what he had heard about his thugs' betraying him, he tightened his grip around her arm, and he almost growled again in anger. They were an incompetent lot, anyways, but no one. No one. Double crosses him. And they wanted to take away Emily for themselves on top of it? He absolutely had plans for them tomorrow. Why tomorrow? Because he wanted to let them think they had a one up on him, let them think they'll win this. Lull them into a false sense of security in their idiocy. But as he grew angrier and angrier at their audacity for thinking of taking away something of his, he looked down at one of the objects of his current thoughts, watching her eyelids droop slightly, and how she shook her curly head of hair to keep herself awake. If he had a heart, he felt it would swell along with his massive ego, and pride at having her to himself, and he knew that not anyone. Not even The Batman would be able to take her from him. And these dimwits, they will pay. Each and every one of them will get their comeuppance.

Satsfied for now with these comforting thoughts of revenge, he stopped them in the shadows, outside the lamplight, turned her to him, and then leaned down to kiss her deeply. Emily allowed this, and acknowledged quietly to herself that now that some of the fear, and all of the disgust had gone she could enjoy this more, and not feel so terrified when he did this. It actually wasn't that bad, he was a good kisser. Though, she had no experience with which to base this observation on.

He pulled away, and with his hands on her arms he stared out into the abyss, and looked to be in thought. He seemed somewhat angry tonight, she thought to herself. But that didn't stop the question she had on her mind from being blurted out;

"What's going to happen now?"

She almost backed down at his eyes snapping back to her's, and the devilish smile that he gave her as he asked playfully, "What on earth could you mean by that?"

She almost scowled, but fought it off her face as she said in a desperate voice, "I know you've given, and allowed me to do quite a lot, and I'm grateful, really. It's just.. I was wondering if I could.." She couldn't finish for fear of his response.

Bit he just raised a black painted brow, and shook his hair out of his face before grasping her cheek, something he does a lot, and asked her, "You want something then, hm? Haven't I told you to just ask-ah, _my_ _dearrr_? What do you want from me?" He seemed to purr in his nasally voice at the end.

Now she did frown, and sigh unhappily. "It seems pointless to ask you, since you hardly listen to a word I say".

His voice and eyes hardened from amusement to mild anger as he ground out, " _Try_ me".

She hesitated only a moment, and swallowed thickly before saying in a rush, "I only want to do things, and get out more, and if you want me around at all, I'd like to not be alone so much... Could I be with you more?" The last question was the only option; there was no way he'd let her socialize with any of his lackeys, and she knew it. There was one last question she had next. "And one other thing... What is going to happen between us?"

Something shifted in his eyes, and the black inside them seemed to dance and swim with sly mischief as he pulled her to his chest, and whispered in a rough voice into her ear, "Frank-ly I haven't decided _juuust_ yet".

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 **I sense building thunder clouds in the near future. But from where, and who is the question?;)**

 **Have I thanked you guys enough? I don't feel like I have, so THANK YOU WHO HAVE FAVED, FOLLOWED, REVIEWED THIS STORY!**

 **BunnyMermaid, I'm so so happy you liked the last chapter!**

 **AidansQueen, your review literally made me laugh out loud. I loved it!**

 **Isabella95, coincidence!: I like cats too;)! Thanks for your sweet reviews, keep 'em coming! Haha!**

 **YOU GUYS ARE GREAT!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: read chapter 2**

 **I am SO SO SORRY for the wait! (Yes, I'm gearing up to ramble, but hear me out) Long story short; it wasnt at all that I didn't have ideas for how this chapter would go, I knew EXACTLY how I wanted this to go. Unfortunately, where I live in my town has crappy wifi, and it stopped working, and I couldn't get anything done. Work, writing, or what have you. That is until just recently, and I'm soooo glad to be back , thank you SO SO MUUUUCH ALL YOU FOLLOWERS AND PEOPLE WHO HAVE FAVED THIS STORY!**

 **Reviewers... I don't know what to say except;**

 **BunnyMermaid, I do love your reviews, as I've said in the past. But hold onto your pants! I don't know if I've told you guys, but this will be a (hopefully) realistic, and rocky road we will travel down!**

 **.52, Thanks, I hope you love this chapter as well!**

 **AidansQueen, I'm glad you're into Joker beating up his thugs;). I also hope you had/have enjoyed writing Joker in his flattering nurse outfit, haha! I really really REALLY hope you like this.**

 **Guest, you are very sweet. Review again! Haha.**

 **Ella, here it is!**

 **Last but certainly not least; crazykenz, I had to re-read your review a few times to make sure you actually liked my story;). I LOVED your very insightful review, and I'm sorry for whatever life situation made you feel the way Emily does now. I hope you've found peace, and enjoy this new chapter:)**

 **I desperately hope you ALL enjoy this crazy ride, and those of you who sent me encouraging, or worried for me PM's (and you know who you are); THANK YOU, I love you guys!**

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"Well? Do you think it'll happen tonight?" A short, round thug asked his superior, Bernie, while the two of them stood in the large front room of the warehouse.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, yeah. Everything will be fine, now quit asking me!" Bernie snapped, then went back to staring off, and thinking.

"Are you sure?"

A sigh from Bernie as he turned to face the other man. "Of course I'm sure! I came up with it, after all. Yes, it will go smoothly, yes the boss will be gone tonight, and long enough for what we're going to do, and yes, the boss will have no idea we did it, and I think if he did know, he'd be thanking us", Bernie said confidently.

The short thug furrowed his brow in dumb confusion, and asked hesitantly, "Thanking us? Why would he do that?"

"Isn't it obvious? I don't think he really cares about her that much, and why should he? He's The Joker, and she is just a girl. A pretty one, but nothing special in my opinion".

"I guess so", the other man relented. "But sometimes I'm not so sure b'cause like you said; he is very... Um, obsessive over her, wouldn't you say?"

Bernie rolled his eyes. "Sure he is, but once she's gone, I think he'll get over it".

The thug perked up. "You're right. He won't care about her after today".

"That's the spirit", Bernie said mockingly, still in deep though about that girl, and what he wanted to do to her when tonight comes...

... Emily had never known, or had the chance to learn just how quickly a person's mind and spirit can adapt when it's forced to. Like now, for example. She had wanted nothing to do with her captor in the beginning, she had fought, and argued with him, clinging stubbornly to thoughts of freedom from this someday. Now she has had to learn, and reluctantly enjoy being around him.

If only to find some happiness here, she had taken to outright asking him honest questions, trying to find some way to stave off her own craziness, and also the fear of Stockholm Syndrome setting in. She worried she was now past that point though because she admitted that she was grudgingly grateful to him for letting her have her cat, and he was smart, and had the capacity for some degree of niceness. But she had longed to be able to do things _without_ his permission, and to get out more.

Annoyingly, whenever she asked him questions he never (hardly) gave a straight answer, he was also violent, jealous, possessive, and... scary. But be that as it may, she has had to learn to live with his temper, and him. Granted, he hadn't hurt her lately... not physically at least. For example, whereas before coming here, she was not the most talkative, or outspoken girl, now she hardly spoke more than a dozen words on any day, and never more than was necessary for a response. She allowed herself to be more emotional back then as well, and whatever was on her mind, she generally spoke up about it. Now she found she has just kind of... not really given up, but close. She knew something was missing, and she could tell she wasn't the same, but she didn't think she will be the same ever again now anyways.

Of course The Joker- since he was no idiot, though admittedly a little one-track minded at times- noticed her recent silence, and melancholy attitude that had become more and more evident of late. He figured it had something to do with her not even being twenty years old yet, so it must be a phase. He didn't mind so much if she was silent while he was working or something like that, but after awhile he did find he almost missed her yelling, or her anger... maybe even her tears. Because like he has said before; he hates the idea of another mindless zombie.

He had another reason to enjoy her talking; he had never been around anyone who would ask him genuine questions, or try staring a conversation with him. And though he knew she had no choice but to speak only with him, he still found it to be a nice change, and he was glad she didn't try so vainly to run away, and has instead chosen to accept her situation. He was actually proud of his accomplishments with her, not knowing her inner anguish and the (in his opinion) positive steps they had been taking. He felt they were building trust with each other.

And he figured there was no reason she would even want to leave. Stupid parents that only held her back, no friends to go to, and she was in a different city. He felt that he was the best company to have around here, too. He had never thought, nor had reason to think that she might need something else, like being treated like an equal instead of a plaything, or how she needs to feel wanted. In his experience with 'relationships', there was never anyone in his life to teach him how to love, or show compassion for another, so it wasn't so surprising he was kind of out of his element. In fact, people say a person needs love, but he had never felt he needed it, or that he needed to show it to others. He was convinced that what he felt for Emily was fascination, and taking pleasure in her company. Others might say he had an unhealthy obsession, but so what if he liked having her around and knowing she wasn't going anywhere? So what if he liked holding her, talking to her? So what if he liked... her? He didn't know what to call it, or if there was even a word for it, he just wanted her.

The Joker turned to Emily while they stood before a written down 'plan' for this city that would be taking place this week. So far during his excited explanation, she had stared almost disinterestedly at his ideas, and that slightly frustrated him, but then he thought, why should he care what she thinks anyways? So instead of making her show admiration, he leaned down with a smirk, and captured her unsuspecting lips. Instantly he knew something was off with her. She was completely submissive as he held her, and not at all responsive with her lips.

He pulled back after a minute to look into her hooded eyes, and he growled warningly, " _Em-illyy"._

She raised her light brown eyes to his dark ones. "What?" She asked dully.

He clenched purple gloved fingers around her shoulders so tightly that most people would have at least flinched, but she merely stood there staring up at him with something akin to sadness in her eyes.

His eyes narrowed, he released her arms, and turned back to his desk as he answered her angrily, "Nothing, it's nothing".

He heard her shift her weight a bit before she asked a question quietly, "Can I please go check on my cat now?"

Now it was his turn to ask a question. While looking at her out of the corner of his eye, he asked her with an edge to his voice, "What cat?"

"My cat... Tucker". Her voice had lowered at the last word.

He looked away from her, back to his papers as he said back in annoyed exasperation, "Whatever, but don't take a year, understand?"

"Yes, thanks. Bye".

He heard her hurried, somewhat eager footsteps, then the bedroom door closing behind her but he didn't bother to look, figuring he'd find her later and she'll be normal again, but right now he didn't mind her being gone because he honestly didn't know what to do or make about her strange behavior.

She had been walking for what she thought to be half an hour, and still no sign of her loving kitten. Emily was beginning to grow more and more worried by the minute. More distressed than she could remember being for quite a long time. Her kitten had been a wonderful companion for her these past... weeks, has it been? Anyway, he was always there for her with his friendly, and inquisitive meow whenever she would call his name quietly in the halls. But now, she had to admit to herself that he was missing. But where he was she didn't know. She searched everywhere she could think of; in his little room next to the kitchen, in the kitchen itself where she had laid out his breakfast which still had half-eaten scraps on the plate. She proceeded to check the hallways, and unlocked doors nearby, even looking up in the attic where she had first found him, but still, no Tucker to be found.

Tired, hungry, sad, and beyond caring that she was late, and if the Joker was mad about it, she nevertheless leaned against the wall for support, and slid to the floor. She was filled with so much worry, and sorrow that she felt it was coming up her throat, but no tears would come. She was still too detached to really care about her own sadness. She was more concerned for where her best friend could be. He always- without fail- came when she called. Wether he was far away, or nearby he always came running. He would come sprinting to her only to stop a few feet away, playing indifferent before he would leap at her, and rub her legs.

If she had any to produce, she was sure she would be crying right now, but at the moment she merely stared at the opposite wall with an almost pained look on her face. And that is how _he_ found her; curled against the wall with her back to him as he walked up, almost silently to stand right over her, and stare down at her with his green haired head cocked slightly.

"Why the long face, doll? Is there a, uh, prob- _lem_ with the pest?" His nickname for her kitten. She didn't like him calling Tucker that, but she never disputed it. Partly because it would do no good, and also that she was just lucky he let her keep her dear friend.

She turned her head slightly, in acknowledgement of his overwhelming presence, and whispered in a quietly bitter tone, "Why do you even care? You'd just as soon have killed him to begin with".

She watched him crouch right next to her, and reach out to brush her brown curls from her face. This wasn't really like his usually controlling, fidgety personality, she thought while feeling the leather-clad hand rub her cheek. Leather, purple leather. Purple, and green clad grease-painted clown with bomb making abilities, violent, and controlling tendencies, and restraining leather-clad hands. She didn't even _want_ to understand him or his mannerisms, but was forced to on account of their proximity with each other. He was pretty much the only thing she had to study, but even countless hours of it didn't amount to her knowing what goes through his head on a daily basis.

So wrapped up in her thoughts was she that she nearly jumped when his nasally voice spoke again with a clearly feigned sympathetic tone to it, "Maybe I care because you're upset. Do you think I like seeing you upset, or something, huh?"

Yes. Of course, she didn't say this aloud. Not unless she had a death wish. Instead, she shrugged, and continued to stare ahead and away from him.

That is, until she felt strong fingers curl around her arm, and his excited voice saying, "Let's get out of here, how 'bout it? I know some places way more fun than this".

She could practically hear his smirk, and the lick of his lips, and his excitement scared her enough to yank her arm back, and say quickly in a half pleading, half angered voice, "Can't you please just leave me be? I.. I couldn't possibly be up to gong anywhere right now; I'd just be in your way".

This gave the Joker pause while he considered her plea. On one hand, he was sufficiently angered at her thinking she could just do what she wanted and not what he wanted. On the other hand, and even though she was clearly distressed, he saw a bit of her old spark there in her words, and her eyes.

That is what made his decision for him as he smiled a yellow toothed, devilish, but almost charming smile, as he said, "Ok. You probably would be in the way, anyways. I have some... _things_ to do right now, but I'll be back ve-ry soon, all right, Em?"

She didn't want to know what these 'things' were anyways, and she nodded her head in response to his- likely rhetorical, and mocking- original question. He still had the teasing smile on his painted face as he ruffled her hair, and stood straight again, then turning with hunched shoulders down the hall, and out of her line of sight.

Taking in a shaky, deep breath she let it out in a gust. Finally, she was able to grieve and breathe without his intense presence, and looming shadow. Those two things were impossible for her to do whenever he was around. She sighed, and got to her feet because she figured she may as well make the most of her time away from him and look for her kitten a little more.

Walking a ways away from the bedroom down an unfamiliar hall, she stopped, and turned the knob to a.. previously locked door. Frowning suspiciously, she pushed the door open to the darkened room with what looked like humming computer screens on the other side. Though she knew that Tuck couldn't have shut the door himself, and gotten locked in here, she still called his name out quietly, and when no response was forthcoming, her shoulders slumped, and she turned away. But just as she did, something familiar caught her eye. Her head snapped to the screens at the other end of the room, and she tentatively walked to them with a stunned expression at what she beheld.

Her parents, sitting on their green couch in the living room of her old home. Emily's eyes nearly watered at the sight, as she pressed a hand over the screen with her mother's bent over figure.

" _Mom",_ she thought in loving recognition. She was so happy to see their faces, and though she thought she would be glad to see that they cared enough to be sad over her absence, the looks on their faces; so tired, unsure, and broken... like her. She found this look into their lives to be too much. Suddenly, looking at a room that looked like... her old bedroom! She was filled with a sudden horror, and angry resentment at the discovery.

"He _watched_ me?" She asked herself quietly in the silence. She felt thoroughly violated, and also terrified. The camera was positioned across from her bed and you could see almost all of the bedroom. Her face flushed at what he must have seen, and watched. Snickering as he did.

She backed away with a final look at her mom, and a whispered good-bye as she fled the room. So many emotions coursed through her as she speed walked away from there; anger, fear, uncertainty, and also an intense panic. It was so very overwhelming considering she hadn't allowed herself to feel hardly anything for a long time. While she thought over what all this meant, and not paying any attention to where she was going, she looked down at the lovely, but also terrifying because of the implications, ring that adorned her finger. She thought over all he had said about her, and what he had said when she first met him.

" _Could he really want me to provide him a child to continue his work?",_ she thought in pure horror. It was doubtful, but not altogether an impossible notion.

What does the ring mean to him really? Why does he seem so determined to keep her? Why did he go to such lengths as to watch her house, her home? All this went through her head, and con tuned her fast paced walk she didn't notice her walking into a large, completely unfamiliar room, and right into another person. Right into trouble.

She hesitated a little before raising her eyes to the face of the person she had run into, already knowing it was not the Joker. She was right; instead of the face painted clown, she had ran into a man she had met a few times around here, and had always said at least one suggestive thing to her each time. Always when the Joker was gone, and always for not very long; everyone knew the consequences of being with her without the Joker's permission. They had all seen what was left of Josh's body. Quite a gruesome sight, but that did not stop them from what they were about to do, thinking their boss was gone right now.

As she stared apprehensively, he gave her a smile he probably didn't consider to be as lecherous or intimidating as it was to her. She immediately took a step back at his words. "You look lost. Did you need any help tonight, cupcake?"

The way he looked at her, ugh, it made her wish she had a thick fur coat on to cover herself up with instead of this purple light sweater. Crossing her arms protectively over herself, she said with some bite to her tone, "No, thanks. I'm just fine".

He leaned in, making her even more uncomfortable as he said in an almost whisper, "You know, there's some guys around here who know how to teach you to have a good time. I could show you some".

She didn't think anyone's voice could have sounded more suggestive than his was just then, and she was beginning to worry for her safety. Still, she was able to scoff, and glance discreetly around for a means of escape as she responded, "Real subtle. Why dont you leave me alone, how about that?"

Looking around, she realized that this room wasn't as unfamiliar as she had originally thought. She had been here before, but when? Racking her brain, it hit her like a tone of bricks; this is the front room of the warehouse. Just to the left, down a short hallway is the front door. If only she could reach it in time.

Startling her out of her thoughts was Bernie speaking again, and to her he sounded slightly drunk, "I didn't think you appreciated subtlety, you know. What with the company you keep and all".

Her head snapped to his face, and she openly glared at his smug look as she ground out, "What do you mean by 'the company I keep'?"

Then something worrying caught her attention; it would seem that while she was otherwise occupied, three other shorter thugs had materialized in the room not far from where they were standing. They looked almost menacing, but definitely a little scary to her.

Bernie laughed, and shocking her he laid a hand on her arm as he said, "We didn't mean anything by this, only that you're.. Ya know... The Joker's girl".

Now she really snarled, and spit out her response, "I am not!" It was one thing to hear the Joker tell her that all the time, but it was a whole other thing for this Neanderthal goon to say she is someone's property.

Now maybe it was all the thugs laughing at her that evoked her next respone, maybe it was all the emotions, and turmoil she had faced today, or maybe it was that there was another man's hand on her, tugging her towards them. Whatever the feeling coursing through her was, she let it control her as she kicked the man right in his most intimate place.

He went down holding his privates, and grunting out in hatred, "You bitch".

She barely had time to allow herself a satisfied smirk before another thug pulled her arms behind her back to pin her in place. Her fight instinct kicked in full force as she desperately struggled, and lashed out any way she could. Lick a rabid animal she gouged a man's eyes with her fingers, kicked another one's privates, bit, clawed, and attacked them any way she could. For someone who had never taken self defense classes, she actually injured a few pretty badly. All the while she had a constant stream of rare obscenities pouring out of her lips.

Of course no one knew of the Joker watching the scuffle break out in amusement at the sight. He had obviously known what they were going go down, and he let them think he was gone as he planned to step in before he missed all the fun. One thing he had not planned on was Emily. He hadn't expected her here right now, but he had really not expected her ferocious fight she was giving. He knew there was something about her, but seeing her like this. Let's just say it stirred something in him that, were there not so many witnesses, and more pressing matters to attend to, he might be tempted to act on these sudden urges.

Emily was about to bite a thug's hand when they all heard and paused at the echoing sound of a high pitched giggle in the large room. She was instantly released, and stood in the middle of the room by herself while the thugs backed quickly away, and the Joker strode casually up to them.

She watched the goons' expressions as she felt the Joker stop directly behind her, and place his hands on her shoulders as he said to them in an almost fatherly reprimanding tone, "Is violence really the way we solve things around here? How about some- _one_ tells me what this is all about, hm? _Come_ _onn_ , don't be shy".

She could feel his breath fan her head as he sighed in exasperation, and asked agaitatedly, "Do I have to get this information out by force then?"

Suddenly, obviously not wanting to get beaten up more then he already was, Bernie stepped forward to say in a rush, "S-she was trying to leave while you were gone, b-boss. W-we tried to stop her for you".

"That's a lie! I was not, I was just walking around", Emily said in clear outrage, but also worry that he wouldn't listen to her.

His fingers tightened painfully, and he said with fake cheer, "Mmm, now I _know_ you boys are lying 'cause you see..." He leaned into her ear but spoke with regular volume, "My Em- _ilyy_ would no **t** do that". It was like he was assuring himself of this, but warning her at the same time.

Shoving her to the side he stepped forward, saying to her dismissively, "Let the boys sort this out a minute, _dear._ You just stay right there". Standing in front of the terrified thugs, she watched in the same fear as them as they quivered in front of their boss. While standing in front of them, clearly revelling in heir terror, the Joker reached into his coat's pocket and one thug lost it; he turned to run away, but the Joker was far quicker as he whipped out a small black gun and shot the goon square in the back.

And as everyone watched the Joker replace his gun with his favored switchblade while he approached Bernie with a dark gleam in his eye. Emily saw the hunger for blood, and it made her shiver in pure fear. She knew what was coming; more murders, blood, then maybe him kissing her or holding her, and she just couldn't stand that thought right now. All the previous anger she felt towards Bernie was gone, replaced with an instinct to escape from this... from _him_ if only for a little while.

Since they were all engaged in watching their boss mutilate the other man, Emily saw her chance and she took it; she ran. Out the large front room, out the short hallway, and the front door, out the abandoned lot, out into a night in the vilest part of the Narrows. Not near enough to hear the animalistic roar of rage coming from behind her...

 **A/N**

 **Who's ready for a Joker reaction? Me me me! It may or may not be in the next chapter... Now leave a review to tell me how annoyed you are at what I've just done, but know this; there's a method to my madness.**


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: read chapter 2**

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Running, to Emily, felt like the best option for her at this moment. Not that she had the ability to think through any decisions right now; her lungs burned for more oxygen than they were receiving, her feet ached, and her muscles in her calves protested the intense exertion they were experiencing.

After miraculously making it a ways from the warehouse, and navigating the deserted streets with broken street lamps on them she finally stopped on the sidewalk and panted heavily for a solid five minutes, just until she got her breath back. She hadn't done any kind of exercising like this for quite a while obviously, and she was scared that her legs would cramp up after standing still too long and then she would be unable to move again. Her worries, in that regard, were for naught though as she was able to start up again at a swift jog soon afterwards. No other options presented themselves, nor could she think of a better plan than putting as much distance between herself and _him_ as humanly possible. But annoyingly, she was forced to stop in front of a short alleyway while she heaved, and gritted her teeth against the pain in her side. She hoped it would go away soon.

Slowly reopening her clenched shut eyes, she saw how few stars there were to be seen, and how quiet and... she shuddered at how very dark it was on this street. Not a single lit window in the cramped apartments, shadows everywhere that seemed to creep up to her with the intention of swallowing her into their dark, inky depths.

With this new observation in mind, she looked around her slowly, half expecting to find a rapist or some other horror right around the corner, lurking in the darkness. The Joker had warned her of the consequences of ever leaving the warehouse without him, but above that he had always clearly implied that she needed him to protect her on the streets of Gotham. While she had never caught him in an outright lie, she suspected he often twisted the truth to suit his intentions, or limited her access to information. She figured there probably was danger out here, but it wasn't as bad as he had led her to believe. Besides, even if it were terrible out here, and though she was faced with one of her biggest nightmares; the dark. She still would not go back to that controlling clown of her own free will. Not ever. And when he entered her mind, thoughts of his merciless, cruel, evil actions pervaded her mind. She leaned against the brick wall and closed her eyes tightly against the images and sensations that seemed burned into her memory, and consisted of his ruby red scary smile, his confining hard arms, darkly glinting eyes, and that chilling laugh.

Her thoughts slowly turned to his reaction to her blatant disobedience. What was going to happen next? What exactly he might be planning to do to the ones she loved. Who would he blame for this without her there to take it out on? Who would he punish, if not her? Kate or Mikey? Their kind, caring faces flashed before her eyes. Maybe even her cat if he returns home from wherever he was. Or what about her parents' safety? She now knew he was watching them, and as badly as she wanted to see them in person; she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that they would be killed, and as for her... she didn't want to think about that right now. Out of nowhere; she started to cry harder and harder until she was sobbing openly. She cried in fear for her friends, she cried at the knowing that no matter where she was, she would probably never again be able to see her parents' faces. But mostly, she cried in admitting selfishness to the fact that no matter what the Joker did or who he threatened, she was _not_ going back to a life with nothing to live, or hope for. She hoped she died before having to go back there, because she knew that if she was forced back into his arms, then she would already be dead for certain.

Somehow, with tears leaving icy tracks down her cheeks, she huddled against a dumpster, tugging her sleeves down, and tucking her chin she slowly fell into a dreamless sleep in the chilly... Was it already an autumn night? Strange.. It was mid-summer when she first set out for Gotham City. She now has her answer for how long she was with him. She sighed, forcing every thought out of her head except for the pleasant feeling of her warm sweater laying over her shoulders. Comforting, like her mother's embrace...

Waking to freezing cold, and curled up as she had always been since coming to Gotham, it was not as bitterly chilly as last night, Emily noted two things; one, was that she couldn't feel the tip of her nose, and second, that the sun was just rising. A brand new day. The first day of her freedom. She hoped that maybe a little later it would get somewhat warmer out. She could see her breath coming out in white puffs of air. She wondered if the sprinting and stress she had endured lately was what allowed her to sleep so soundly last night.

Rising slowly, she wiggled her numb toes in her shoes to bring back some of the feeling that was lost. She was happy for one thing at least; she was not very sore from her sprint yesterday. She could actually quite easily jog if she needed to. Then the urgent reason for _why_ she needed to run entered her thoughts, and her eyes widening, she turned her head around and looked behind her to find the purple-clad clown conspicuously absent.

 _"If I've learned anything at all about him",_ she thought suspiciously, still looking around her. _"it's that he's always one step ahead of everyone, and even though I have undoubtedly surprised him, he certainly has a trick up his sleeve"._

Still, though she was convinced he had a plan, it worried her that he hadn't made himself known yet. He didn't usually like to just sit and wait for his prey to wander by. But that wasn't the first thing on her mind right now; she was hungry. When was the last time she ate? Yesterday, a whole twenty-four hours ago. Course of action decided for her, she was going to try doing something about her hunger..

... The Joker was on his own personal high at the moment while staring at the disfigured face of his now deceased thug. He felt that this was one of his better works of art; the slits were perfectly sliced all the way through and up towards the temples of the head, and it took what's-his-name a long time to finally give in to his inevitable end. That was the best part; he felt the familiar burning, and euphoria in him as he watched the other man choke on his own blood, and try to stay awake even as the life poured out of him in ruby droplets. There was truly nothing like it. Well, _almost_ nothing. And when his- for the moment- fuzzy mind turned to the only other thing, actually, the only other _person_ more like it, that made him feel something that stirred in his long dead soul, he rose from crouching over the goon's head, and turned around to where Emily had last been standing. Only to find her not there.

His mind still running on the excitement from moments before, it took a minute before he grasped that she wasn't just not where he'd originally left her; she wasn't in the room at all. He went through what he had said to her while he approached where she was last standing. He thought he told her to stay there, but upon further reflection, he deducted that his words could have been interpreted in multiple ways. Possibly she went to the bedroom for the night, and just didn't think to ask him first. Yes, that seemed more likely, though later he planned to correct her mistake. But not tonight.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his remaining thugs that he hadn't killed- because what's the point in dealing out punishments if no one else is there to spread the news, and warning around for him?- they were still standing there, shocked and too terrified to move as they awaited their own horrific ends. But the Joker merely had a private, devilish smirk on his face while he skipped away, humming a merry tune that completely contradicted the gruesome sight of blood all over the front of his suit.

But of course, his happy mood could not last for long. Once he arrived to the bedroom, and opened the door he found it to be without his Emily just like the front room was as well. He cocked his head, stepping through the door to be in the middle of the room, his mind now sharp as ever, and suddenly he was thrown into doubt. Where could she be, and why wouldn't she say something first? Well, he knew one way to find out for certain where she was, and once he did find her, she was in trouble. He moved to his desk, with an angry scowl firmly on his face as he riffled through his drawers. Why did she have to ruin a perfectly nice night by playing hard to get, or hide and seek? He liked games, but not if the odds weren't in his favor. He was, after all, nothing if not a sore loser.

His thoughts were cut off once he found the little black box with a screen on it. Turning it on, and seeing what was on the screen... The useless device shattered in his gloved hand, the pieces scattered on the floor as he started seeing red. Rage, rage and anger. An anger beyond anything that his lovely companion had had the misfortune to see he allowed to consume his being. Letting the emotion control him, he roared like the angered monster he was. He ripped the sheets off the bed that was a few feet away, tore the pillows apart, swept the papers off his desk while nearly simultaneously tipping over the desk.

That took some time, time that helped to diffuse his temper. He crouched amidst the chaotic mess with pillow feathers settling on every surface including his wild green hair, sweat dripping off him, and his war paint beginning to smudge, he looked like a possessed clown. Now that the initial wave of hatred had passed, he found conflicting emotions raging through him. There was still a bit of anger at her audacity, but there was also a small feeling of betrayal as well as a niggling emotion that no matter how hard he tried or how deeply he searched himself, he could not place this new feeling inside of him.

In an instant, he placed the newfound feeling; regret. This stunned him so much he might have killed whoever walks through his door just for the heck of it, even if it was Emily. He had never, not once, felt regret for anything in his life, and if he could help it, then he wasn't going to start now. But that didn't make it go away; if anything, the emotion grew until he was forced to face the reasons for why he would feel this way. He had thought, or convinced himself, that they had built a sort of trust between them, and that things were going well, even though he knew how scared she was of him, how much she disliked him, and there was her desire to return to her family that was very obvious. Not that he could sympathize with her, but he still could see how she felt.

He had to admit to himself that he had made a mistake in this area. To think he could persuade her through force to see things his way was ludicrous. He had to acknowledge that his plan to force her into depending on him had not been at all successful. Instead of her growing to like him, she had tried avoiding him while he had deluded himself into thinking that things were fine, and convincing himself that he, as the Joker, always made the right decisions. He had done things that were horrid and unforgivable to other people, but up until this point, he felt that all of his choices, and actions in life were completely necessary and even justified. But at this moment, he felt he knew the reasons for why she left, and what made her act the strange way she did, and the revelations left an unpleasant feeling in his gut; he had broken the one person who he felt an attachment for. Broken her in a way that was not his original intention.

On the subject of broken things; this city was now about as broken as possible, and she could very well run into some people who don't have the... _finesse_ or talent that he does, and she could get seriously hurt, or- and this thought got his hackles up once again- she could meet someone else, someone who could take her away from him. The protectiveness he feels towards her came back stronger than ever now that she wasn't here anymore; his teeth and hands clenched tightly as he thought over why he should even care what happens to her now, and he told himself that he only cares because she needs to be punished for this, and by him. No one else. Yes, that must be it. He felt better about himself knowing that he wanted her back not only because she belonged to him, but because she needed to be _firmly_ reprimanded for her transgression.

This did not quell his anger towards her very much, they were simply musings and the guilty voices he actually very nearly succeeded in shutting up. He could not deny it though; he knew he would get her back. What he would do to her once she was within his grasp again, and what would happen afterwards were things he'd sort out later, when the time is right.

Satisfied that he had made his thoughts and emotions submit, he stood back up, shaking the feathers from his hair before turning on his heel and out the door to figure out how and when he would get her back. All the while that irritating, persistent feeling started up again deep within him while he tried vainly to ignore it...

... This. Sucks. Big-time. That was the thought that kept repeating through Emily's mind while dumpster diving for breakfast. Obviously she would never have considered ever doing this before, but finding no other choice, she moved aside dirty old clothes, a few shoes, empty cartons, milk jugs, and many other disgusting things that were thrown away for a reason in her quest for sustenance. She felt the need to cry as it pushed thickly up her throat, but she would not give in. Not now, not when she was finally free and planning on keeping it that way. After leaving the empty dumpster that she had slept beside, she walked for some time through the oddly empty streets until her totally empty stomach forced her to stop and search for food in the immediate area. Her initial adrenaline, then sleeping had kept hunger pains at bay, but now, when everything is quiet with thankfully no homicidal clowns around she felt her body protesting in multiple ways. A splitting headache right behind her eyeballs, her growling stomach, and the aches and pains in her legs that made it feel as if phantom hands held her legs in a vice grip.

Then she had stumbled onto a dumpster that was filled to the brim, and the call of possible food was too great to resist; she was starting to feel lightheaded from lack of nutrients. Then standing in front of the huge, green, foul-smelling thing she felt her resolve weaken. She hated the Joker for what he has done to her and forced her to do. She could actually forgive his violent acts, and his evil tendencies but she could not go back and beg his forgiveness knowing what he could and may very well do to her. Nor could she see her parents again as she had already decided; she didn't want to draw his attention to them. That was so hard to bear, almost changing her mind entirely when she thought about them, but she had a plan, and she resolved to keep her reasons for steering clear of the clown in a filing cabinet in the back of her mind; why she must not let him find her, why she needed to protect her parents or die trying, why she will never go back.

That was how she found herself now; looking through trash until she found a sealed sub sandwich that she assumed was expired since she had no idea of what today's date was. While she opened it slowly, even though her body was yelling at her to rip it apart, she thought over her plan for the future. She hoped to find a way to change her identity for good, maybe get her hair cut and dye it, that would of course require money, and she thought maybe to get a waitressing job or something like that. She felt a little better trying to convince herself there was another option than going back.

Finished with her somewhat stale food, she set out in what she deduced to be the opposite direction of the warehouse based on the sun's orientation. She thought that maybe she will get into the better parts of Gotham by nightfall. It was something to hope for, at least.

She thought her feet were sore before, it was ten times worse now, she thought as she felt the blisters form, and burst on her feet because her shoes weren't made for this. She was so thirsty as well, maybe it was stupid to eat first because she heard somewhere that your body requires water to digest and there was none to be found on the streets. Great. But there was one lucky thing she noticed; there was more activity where she now found herself. Maybe one of them could direct her to the police station?

Ignoring her headache, Emily caught sight of a business dressed blonde woman about to step into her red Porsche but Emily called out, stopping the woman as she turned her head in obvious irritation, while Emily ran up to her.

Panting lightly, and beyond tired and thirsty Emily asked in a rush, "Sorry to interrupt you, but do you know the quickest way to the police station, or maybe have a phone I can call them on?"

The older woman scoffed rudely, and adjusted her bag on her shoulder while staring Emily down in disdain. "Police station? Where have you been- under a rock? There hasn't been any police station, not since the Joker-" she stopped mid-sentence when she saw Emily's shirt. Her eyes narrowed, she glared at Emily who stood there not understanding what she was looking at. "You know what, I've got to get to work. Good-bye". With that, the woman slid in, and sped away.

Emily frowned in confusion, staring at the disssapearing tail-lights. What was she looking at that made her act so cold? She looked down herself at what the woman could have been staring at. She didn't see anything wrong, she was just wearing her purple sweater... Then it hit her like a ton of bricks; these people hate the Joker and what he has done, and here she is, openly wearing his color. She grasped the bottom of it while she thought it over. She didn't want to sacrifice the warmth this provided, but she didn't want to go around like she supported the Joker. She sighed and tore off the shirt, thinking its lucky she wears a tank top under her clothes. But as it came down over her left hand, it snagged on something on her finger.

She threw it away from her, and looked down to see what it got caught on. The large purple gem glinted back at her in the sunlight in a way that looked sinister to her. She had completely forgotten about it during her escape and afterwards, but as she stood in the middle of the street, she immediately wrapped her right hand around it to yank it off of her.

But she stopped all of a sudden when she heard his voice in her memory- she was sure it didn't do the nassal tone justice, but it nonetheless succeeded in scaring her, " _I ne-ver want to see this off your finger, or hear about it ever being off. Understood?_ ". Though he wasn't here right now, she knew deep down that eventually- wether it be in an explosive, or civilized manner- he _would_ find her, and when he does he will be angry, that is a fact no matter what she does, but more so if she wasn't wearing this ring. _His_ ring.

She decided to leave it. She stifled her tears, and tried not to think about how keeping this on is admitting defeat to him, and giving in.

" _No",_ she told herself fiercely. " _Remember, Em; You are only as broken as you_ allow _yourself to be"._ It was something to hold onto, at least.

Squaring her shoulders, and fighting off drowsiness, she trudged forward if only to get further away from _him._ If that were at all possible.

Her forced optimistic attitude from earlier did not last long; soon, the headache became nearly too much to bear, and was only exacerbated by the walking she was doing; each step sent shooting bolts of pain into her skull. Though it wasn't sunny out by any means, the light hurt her eyes and she was beginning to see blackness on the edges of her vision. That scared her, but she found her thoughts to be sluggish and not comprehending information very quickly. She knew she was in trouble when it was late evening but she wasn't hungry again at all, just crazy thirsty.

Close to giving up, and letting her exhaustion win over, she stumbled onto her knees, and stayed there hoping someone- though there weren't many people on the streets right now- would help he really. But of course no one ever did, too busy with their own lives, she supposed. That's ok, she felt like she could just sleep. Right here, on the sidewalk. Forever.

"Pardon me, miss. Are you all right? Would you like some assistance?"

She opened her eyes to see a kind old man staring at her in concern, but his voice was a bit fuzzy to her ears so she simply stared back up at him, not comprehending.

He seemed to understand as he leaned closer and spoke a bit louder, "Do you need any help? Is there any family you'd like me to call for you?" That, she understood, and her eyes watered as she shook her head that no she didn't have anyone.

His gentle eyes frowned, and he helped her to her feet saying nicely but with a no-nonsense tone, "I hope you don't mind, miss, but I'd like to take you home with me, and offer you some help if you like".

She must have looked a sight, and seemed totally non-threatening for him to offer to bring her off the streets and into his home. She barely got out a whispered "Thank you" as he helped her into the small black car.

He smiled kindly, and said, "It is truly no trouble, miss. But I do have one question for you; what is your name?"

She detected a British accent in his voice when she could focus more, and she felt that it wasn't so different from Kate's accent. She was still thinking about her when she realized with a start that the old man was still waiting for a reply. She cleared her dry throat and answered quietly, "Emily Allen, sir".

He smiled again in a grandfather sort of way, and said back pleasantly, "No need for you to call me 'sir', miss. It is actually Alfred Pennyworth".

"Oh, it's nice to meet you.. Alfred".

He nodded politely and closed the door before going around to the driver seat. When he walked in front of te car she saw his suit he had on, like a butler or something. She wondered what will happen next, and how long this could last; this strange sense of security she felt around this nice stranger. Maybe he could help her see her parents again, though, she didn't think that was very likely, but she had to hope because what else is there for her to do but hope for a brighter future than the one she was currently experiencing?...

 **A/N**

 **Whew! Chapter 20, yippee! I don't know if you guys realize just how worried, and intimidated I am about what you guys might think of this chapter, because let me tell you; I'm positive that quite a lot of my readers have a good grasp on what they think goes on inside the Joker's head. But it was so difficult to articulate what exactly I wanted you guys to know about how the Joker feels about Emily right now. It is SO hard to write him with any sort of feeling, even anger because when you write him as angry, we have to know why he is, and it's hard to explain his feelings.**

 **Anywayyyys, sorry but I had to just say that even though there wasn't really any definitive reasons for how Joker feels, trust me; we're getting there, and this is the start of it, so please tell me how you felt about his inner monologue and I can't wait to write more of this stuff.**

 **Thank you Followers and those of you you have Faved this story! And to my awesome reviewers; XOXOXO!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: read chapter 2**

 **Thank you SO MUCH THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE FAVED, FOLLOWED, AND ADDED THIS STORY TO THEIR ALERTS! YOURE ALL ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE!**

 **HUUUGE THANK YOUS GO OUT TO;**

 **As always, BunnyMermaid, and AidansQueen I love each of your honest, and touching reviews. And if either of you didn't review a chapter for a whole month, it wouldn't be annoyance I'd feel, just worry for you two. Don't change your awesome selves!**

 **Thanks new reviewer Vicko! Thank you for deciding to review, and hey, here's a loong chapter;)**

 **To desna99; you're right; things should get VERY interesting.**

 **cwsquared, thanks so much to both of those statements!**

 **Please enjoy!**

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Kate was now certain, beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Joker has officially gone totally insane if he wasn't already. If having to hear him describe what he was going to do about Emily was any indication of where his mind was at right now, she hoped he never finds Emily.

He even at one point thought it was a good idea to maybe get her a shock collar when she gets back, or something along those lines. As for his 'plan' (they were really more ideas than anything solid) for getting her back; she knew he had some acquaintances who were extremely tech savvy, and could actually find her somehow if she used any computers or phones. Kate didn't really understand how it worked, but there you go. She was more concerned for Emily's safety out on the streets- Kate actually knew where she was; she had been watching her since she left- and the Joker didn't seem to care about her, at least he acted like he didn't, but she had seen the way he was right after she left him; he had gone through intense anger, and Kate was one of the lucky ones who stayed out of his way, then he was seemingly baffled at why she would have left him, and now he was planning, and he seemed to have regained his ability to know exactly what will happen next. She could see through his acts pretty well; she had been around him since right after he had escaped the first time, when Harvey Dent died so she felt she knew something others didn't; Emily had an effect on him that was disconcerting in its intensity. She wasn't certain what kind of an effect it was, either.

" _Men"_ , Kate thought, while shaking her head. _"Even phycopathic men are the all the same; they don't know how to show a girl they care"._ Well, Kate was about to help him with that wether he liked it or not. She was not going to stand by while these two continued to misunderstand each other, and not come to any understanding.

Standing in front of his office door, she knocked three times then listened to it echoing in the room with no other sounds inside. She hesitated a moment before deciding to just walk in even though he wouldn't like that if he is even in there. She opened the door to see an empty space with his worktable that had a huge mess on top of it. She found it odd that he wasn't here; she was sure she didn't see him leave. She was about to leave when she thought better of it; she might as well wait for him in here- she didn't have anything else to do.

Walking to the table she saw quite a few inconsequential things, such as some gutted kids toys (for bombs), some wrappers, matches, lots of papers, and something very interesting; a book he had scribbled actual legible words in. Even though she found what she was about to do to be the height of bad manners, she looked through his written words anyways. Picking it up, she skipped over to towards the end, and a picture fell out.

Picking it up, Kate looked at the candid photo and frowned at what she saw, forgetting about reading the book. It was Emily sound asleep with an arm over her stomach, her hair a mess of curls around her face, and a troubled, pained look on her face even asleep. Looking closer, she noticed little details about the image that were extremely telling; the deathly white skin, the rope burns around the wrists, the slight sheen of sweat on her dark hair that glowed in the moonlight upon her, and Kate knew exactly when this was taken- it had to have been right after he cut her open, and for some reason only his erratic mind knew of, he took a picture to commemorate the no doubt horrific event for Emily, though he had probably enjoyed it.

This just confirmed what Kate originally thought; the Joker is a psychopath and therefore he cannot feel any sort of love. Genetics, environment, triggers, and other factors play into a human being becoming incapable of feelings, but Kate believed that the heart and mind can't remain healthy for long without some sort of love, and even though he is insane, he's still human. He's just a man with a scary mask. Maybe he needs Emily, but he doesn't know that, maybe she needs him in some way, but she needs something more as well. Everything happens for a reason, maybe they were meant to be together.

Kate was still going over these troubling thoughts in her mind when she heard a door slam from further down the hall. She quickly shoved the book back under some papers, and hastily stepped back from the desk to turn and watch him enter the room.

When he came in, he was on the phone and had a huge smile on his face. To Kate, he looked happier than he has been since Emily left. "Great. See, I knew I could count on you! You just needed the proper motivation is all".

There was a muffled response, and then the Joker's smile fell, and you could see his fingers tighten on the phone, and he said gruffly, in a demonic voice, "Get. Me the number". Then he snapped it shut and looked at her for the first time since entering the room.

"May I ask just _why_ you are, uh, in here, Katie?" His eyes were narrowed, and there was a slight edge of danger to his tone.

She was not worried, though as she spoke clearly, "I had something to tell you".

"Well ob-viously I knew that. You didn't think I assumed you came in here _just_ for the pleasure of my company, did you?" He walked past her to toss the phone on the desk, then stand there as he leaned on his hands against the table, staring off and awaiting her response.

She quickly thought over how she wanted to say this, she hoped to make it sound like it was his idea, but he was often too clever for tricks like that, so she went with the most straightforward and simple, "Do you really think that breaking her would be the best way to go about this? You can't blame her for running; it is your fault she did after all. Let me just say from experience that if you succeed in destroying her spirit the way you have been, through sheer bullying tactics you will not be pleased with the final product".

She expected his anger or maybe he would lash out, but she did not expect him to look at her with amused, vicious eyes as he said condescendingly, "Look who's acting like she knows anything about this, even though she _clearlyy does no_ **t** ". He stepped closer so now they were nose to nose. "If I remember correctly... Your hus-band left you, so sorry, but I don't think I'll be taking advice from you in this area- I've got it all under control".

She knew he only brought up her pathetic past to throw her off, and turn the attention away from him which was something he was very good at, but she was not going to be deterred; she set her jaw, and responded, "You may think you have this under control, but I can assure you- you never have. And it wasn't just your temper that drove her out, but your neglect, and abuse..." She hesitated before gathering momentum again while he just stood with a bored look upon his painted face, "She could be everything you want if you knew how to show her what you think of her. The stresses of what you do can be hard, I know, and it's not as if you have experience with these things.." She saw his muscles tighten against his gloves and shirt, she quickly continued with an urgent tone, "But you must not take your inexperience out on her". She finished in a whisper she wasn't sure he could even hear, "It's not your fault you never learned to love".

She watched him, waiting for the expected rage while he looked up at the ceiling seemingly in deep thoughts for a minute. Was he actually considering her words and thinking them over?

Those thoughts were dashed as he locked eyes with her again, and let out a high pitched giggle before he said in his nasally tone, "I think you're stepping over boundaries here, Katie. If I were you, I'd... Zip it!" He growled.

She kept her composure as he opened his mouth to continue, but was interrupted by his phone buzzing. His head snapped that direction, and he picked up the phone to read the screen. Slowly his demeanor lightened and a smile crept onto his scarred lips at what he read.

"Sorry to cut our chat short, _buut_ I have an errand to run, and a phone call to make- _uh_ ". Clear mischief laced his tone, Kate observed while he left the room to make this call. Her blue/grey eyes narrowed suspiciously. Who was he calling is the question?...

... "So, Doctor, what exactly is the matter with her? Will she be all right?" Emily could hear genuine concern in an old man's voice that sounded nearby.

She had just woken up, but had yet to open her eyes as she lay on a warm, comfortable bed with the feeling of a needle in one arm, and someone touching her head. It took all her willpower not to bolt upright and demand to know what was going on. But she was worried what would happen if she did that- from weeks with the Joker-, and she felt so very comfortable just laying there and not having to worry about anything except looking as sound asleep as possible.

"Well, Mr. Pennyworth is it? Yes, well, I believe she is only suffering severe dehydration, and a little on the malnourished side".

"A little?" The kind-sounding old man's voice spoke again with a hint of exasperation. She wondered faintly why he would be exasperated at all. Was it for her, why should he care about her?

"Yes, she _is_ underweight for the height she is, and her collarbone is more defined than I think is healthy. Otherwise, she looks fairly good; her hair has shine to it, her temperature is normal, her lungs sound fine, her skin is a bit pale but that doesn't necessarily mean anything, although, there is a scar just under her belly button that has an unnatural bump under it that I think might need further examination to determine anything". A bump? She hadn't noticed that before.

"Hm, and why did she pass out in the car on the way here?" Passed out? Huh, turns out she was learning a lot of new things today.

"I would attribute that to the dehydration".

"Thank you, sir. I will send you your check promptly, and the way out is down the hall and the elevator down is on the right".

A mumbled response, then momentary silence. She felt a quiet presence in the room with her, and decided it was time to open her eyes. When she did, she nearly gasped aloud; the room looked like a fancy- very very very fancy- guest room in a large apartment. No, it must be a penthouse. It was light grey with dark wooden, untouched dressers, and night stands on each side of the queen sized bed that she lay in the middle of. The color scheme looked like it was grey and black in a very stylish way, and the whole place exuded a rich type of look to it with the large French doors leading to a small balcony to her right. She looked to the left of her and noticed an old man with light blue eyes looking at her with a patient, concerned expression.

Feeling the need to say something, but not knowing where to start, Emily opened mouth without raising her head, and said, "H-hello, um, is there any reason why I'm here in this bed, with a stranger?"

He smiled in a friendly way that instantly calmed her nerves. "You don't remember our meeting yesterday? You passed out, and I brought you here to Master Wayne's penthouse where you have been sleeping for seventeen hours".

It was slowly coming back to her while she stared at the familiar man, and she remembered all of yesterday; the thirst, the desperation, the willingness to die right then until this kind stranger helped her, then her hopes to never see the evil Joker ever again.

"Did you say 'Wayne'?" The name rang a dim bell in her memory. Something her ex-best friend had told her about him. "Isn't that the guy who owns half the city? Do you work for him, Alfred?" His name came back to her as well as everything else.

"Actually, he's more like a son to me than anything". She refrained from asking why he called him 'master' if he was like a son to him- she didn't think that would be very polite.

Instead she sat up, looking around her her eyes settling on the IV sticking into her left arm, and into a clear bag on a stand. She looked at Alfred and said the first thing she could think of, though she didn't think it even began to cover what he had done for her, "Thank you. You didn't have to do that, you know".

He stood next to the bed, and said honestly, "I wasn't raised to leave a girl in need of help if I could offer some". He seemed to have a reproachful look on his face, and his eyes hardened infinitesimally when he asked a final question, "Now, you told me you don't have any family, or anyone you can call, I don't mind looking after you, but I'd like to know; what is your story, miss?"

There it is; the question she had been dreading for a multitude of reasons, the main one being; she didn't want to say The Joker's name aloud, or have to relive any of the terrors of being with him, or tell anyone what he did with her. She hesitated just long enough to raise an ounce of suspicion, and making up her mind quickly, she answered in a quiet, halting voice, "I... _came_ to Gotham in late August, and until just t-two days ago I was living with..." How was she supposed to say this? It stung, and hurt her heart to remember exactly what had happened, but she pressed on anyways because this man deserved the truth after what he'd done for her, "T-The Joker... He tricked me into coming here through my best friend, and he had kept me for reasons even I don't know, but I'm no accomplice, and when I had the chance, even though I knew the consequences... I ran, and I'm not going back".

By the time she finished, tears were streaming down her face, though shockingly her voice barely shook- it held only a bitter tone with underlying hate for a certain war painted, purple-clad clown who scared her for different reasons than the masses had for fearing him. She was scared because he seemed to think that she was his, therefore giving him the 'right' to control, abuse, and torment her. She was certain he viewed every person as disposable, so why not her? It had been apparent to her that he didn't seem like the thought of ever replacing her crossed his mind, or that she was inadequate, and he was dangerously handsome without the make up, he had disturbing charisma, and she could recognize a certain level of cunning, and intelligence to him for the insane man he was. Still, he was far too cruel, possessive, and violent and all the other 'good' attributes to him were the wrong kind of attraction. Period. Why couldn't he just forget her? Maybe he has already. Or he just doesn't know where she is yet. She shuddered at the horrible possibilities of what could happen if she's back with him. More or less angry, he will not be forgiving about what she did.

She broke out of her thoughts to look up and see Alfred's troubled face as he looked in deep thought, pondering what she'd said. She sighed, and looked back down. "You don't have to believe me, I know how far-fetched it seems".

She flinched when a warm hand was placed on her shoulder, and quickly looked up at him again, and he looked back with a kind expression. "I don't doubt you, Miss Emily. I'm just thinking I should ask you not to tell Master Wayne about this". He must have seen her questioning look as he added, "He has a rather intense hatred for that man, and I'm not sure what he'll think about this". She sensed there was more to it, but that was all Alfred said about it.

Looking outside to see midday sunshine, she tried to get up while saying graciously, "Thank you again, Alfred, but I really shouldn't be taking up any more of your time".

He immediately placed a hand on her shoulder, and helped her lay back down as he said in a clearly no nonsense tone, "I'm sorry but I simply cannot allow that. Why don't you stay here for a bit, and when you're up to it, perhaps you'd like to help me with grocery shopping from time to time or something like that?" She felt he was grasping at straws for reasons to convince her to stay, but she wasn't complaining- this was by far the most at ease she'd felt for... months now. She nodded in agreement, and offered a tired smile.

He smiled back, the skin around his eyes crinkled as he did so, and he said in his soothing British accent, "Wonderful, I'll get you some lunch now, and you can just rest".

He promptly left the room after that, and she was left to ponder his strange kindness, and her suddenly ravenous stomach that grumbled angrily at the promise of food.

After a matter of days went by, Emily grew more relaxed than she could ever remember being for some time, and decided she could wholeheartedly trust Alfred. He was like the grandfather she never had, and she enjoyed his bits of advice, his humor, and his sometimes strict demeanor- he definitely had a way of getting things done, she'd observed. He was also very kind to her- he helped her get better which took no time at all because she was dying to do _something_ even if it was just helping get the mail, or dusting a little bit. Once, she was asked to bring dinner up to the sitting room upstairs for Master Wayne, and other than that one mention of him, she has not heard of or seen this billionaire in person, but she didn't mind- she'd read that he was a snob anyways. She wasn't planning on staying forever by any means. She didn't want to become a basket case which is where she felt this was heading, and her pride would never allow it. But this was certainly a nice respite from running from The Joker _._

When her thoughts turned to _him_ , she looked down at the shining, purple and sliver band on her finger that she never took off out of fear, but felt like it was slowly sucking away her will to fight. But she would try, try very hard to not let her spirit be smothered by his evil. Each day after she woke up, she would do an internal assessment of how she felt about herself and him, and what she found each time was a burning desire to stay away for as long as possible, and that was all she felt she could understand of her emotions. She didn't want to acquire any PTSD, fearing it would hinder her from moving on, and she definitely didn't want Stockholm syndrome to pervade her.

About three days later, her and Alfred were making cinnamon rolls. Well, he was teaching her how to while she did the steps to it. There were lower-level servants for this obviously (this place was huge) but Alfred thought she might like it since they enjoyed each other's friendly company. And she didn't enjoy it's; turns out, she had a talent for baking, and she found it incredibly relaxing.

"Emily, I need to step out for a moment, do you think you've got everything under control?"

She looked up from rolling the dough, and assured him, "Yeah, Alfred, go ahead, do what you need to. I'm fine; this is actually really fun".

He smiled, and nodded before going to grab his coat from the nearby living room, then entering the elevator to leave. And it was just her now inside, which she really didn't mind- sometimes the quiet can be far better than the sounds of insane laughter. Starting to butter then sprinkle cinnamon and sugar over the rolled dough, she wondered if she might actually be lucky enough to never come face to face with the war painted clown again. And if she did, she wasn't at all sure what she'd do if that happened.

A few minutes later, she was bending down to get one pan out of the oven, and put the others inside to cook when she heard a distinct shuffling from the direction of the elevator opening down the hall. Alured doesn't walk like that, so she grabbed a knife because that seemed the most logical response, and then readied herself before tentatively walking towards the sound.

Standing in front of the opening to the hall, she listened to the shuffling as it approached while she still stood out of sight, and when the sound was just a few feet away, she leapt- in retrospect, this was really stupid- at the person, and her wrist was caught in a warm, but firm grip, and an arm pinned the rest of her against the wall while she was left to stare up in absolute embarrassment at Bruce Wayne. He was older than he was in the magazines she'd read about him, and he had a beard now with shaggier hair and a world-weary expression in his brown eyes.

" _So much for thinking I don't have PTSD",_ she grumbled to herself. " _But even if I did, that's no excuse to attack the owner to the place I'm living in"_.

Trying to gauge his reaction, she stared at him just as he was doing to her while they stood in awkward silence with her face heating up, and a sheepish smile that formed on her lips.

She was the first to speak. "I am _so_ sorry, sir. I.. Just thought you were someone else"' she said.

His expression didn't really change, but his eyes changed to a slight look of understanding as he released her but took the knife out of her hand. "You must be Emily", he responded in a curiously tired voice. "Alfred told me about you. So you got stranded in Gotham?"

That's what Alfred said? She still didn't understand why Mr. Wayne shouldn't know that she was kidnapped by the Joker, but she wasn't going to question her friend's motives, so she agreed with the assumption, "Yes, that's right. It's nice to meet you, Mr. Wayne".

He he stared a minute longer, not returning the sentiment as he said, "I smelled something odd, and I came to ask Alfred if he knew what it was...?" A question.

Eager to diffuse the awkwardness, she immediately answered over excitedly, "Yeah, that's cinnamon rolls. Come on, let's have some to make up me almost impaling you".

She heard him mumble behind her when she started walking towards the kitchen, she couldn't really make out what he said, but it sounded something like; "Not attacking that way, you couldn't have". She wasn't sure what he meant by that, but it sounded like he thought she was doing it wrong. Maybe she should take self defense classes.

Once inside the kitchen, she fixed some rolls, and handed it to him but he was in the adjacent living room turning on the news. Alfred didn't watch the news that often, mostly he just read the newspaper, and she hadn't watched it since leaving New York. She listened intently while Bruce Wayne stared at the television and it sounded like a woman reporting from a location that the Joker's latest mischief had taken place- it was a police officer's house- but that had been a week ago, and people were wondering where he was, and what he was planning, as she herself was. What was going through his head to make him suddenly stop now when Gotham City was in the palm of his hand? At this point it seemed like he was just revelling, and letting other criminals have their fun. His silence was almost more terrifying for Emily than him loud and in your face- it just reminded her of his touches and stares. She had no idea how she ever could have laughed, or enjoyed the things he said occasionally. Maybe because she spent too much time with him, she figured.

Then the news woman spoke about Batman, something that hadn't occurred to Emily until now, and she listened some more as the woman talked about Batman's responsibility for Harvey Dent's death, and the lawless tactics he used in the name of justice, but how much the city needs him right now and how they wondered where it was he could have gone, and what made him abandon the city he seemed to care about. Was it because of his guilty conscience, or selfishness because he doesn't want to get arrested? Then the tv was shut off, and Bruce Wayne turned away to walk with a slight limp to the kitchen with his mouth set in a grim line.

While they ate the food, she thought about the Dark Knight. It had never occurred to her to hope for his return so that he might save this city that was falling apart. Not necessarily hoping for hm to stop the Joker himself because that would never work; the clown will never stop when he wants something, and the mark of a great villain, she supposed, was how good they were at forcing their adversaries into making impossible decisions that go against their morals. The Joker, she had to admit, was exceptionally good at getting inside his opponents' heads and figuring out the best way to thwart them, therefore; he knows that Batman knows the only way to stop him is to kill him. Something Batman would never do- he sudpposedly doesn't kill. So.. what? Did the Batman just give up, and drop out just because he knows he could never kill the Joker, and now he thinks there's no hope?

She decided to ask her company what he thought about this subject, and also she hoped to break the ice since he seemed a bit surly, "Do you think the Batman could ever come back to help us, Mr. Wayne?"

He tensed suddenly, and stopped picking at his roll while he looked at her standing across the counter from him. "Why do you ask me?" He said slowly. "He's a murderer isn't he?"

She shrugged. "I just wanted some conversation, and no offense but, you're the only one here for me to ask".

He sighed deeply, and pushed the barely touched plate away before saying grouchily, "I believe that he must have a damn good reason for stopping out of the blue, and I'm not going to bother myself with his reasoning. And neither should you".

She watched him turn around to walk out, and now she was annoyed. Both with his attitude, and the Batman so she called after him, "I'm sorry if I just don't understand someone giving up on a cause they cared about, no matter their 'reasons' because surely whatever his personal issues are, they are not worth more than everybody in Gotham; the retired ones, the little ones, the families, police officers, the officials like the murdered mayor and Commissioner Gordon. They need him. You tell me how anything can be more important than that".

She could tell she got to him when he stopped, and threw her a glare over his shoulder. "Maybe", he ground out. "You shouldn't worry about things that don't concern you". With that, he left, practically stomping out the room.

His last words sparked confusion in her but not because of the content- but because of the different emotions behind his tone, ones that (to her knowledge) he had no reason to feel, such as; anger, resentment, weariness, and even... sadness. She figured she would sort this out later, but now she wanted to finish baking, then cleaning up.

...

After she had put away the food, cleaned the counters, then cleaned herself up a bit she went downstairs to grab the mail at the front desk from the doorman Tony. He always had on his bright red uniform, and his big smile on his face whenever he spoke, and he was also very proud- almost comically- of his job as a doorman, and he took it very seriously. She was looking forward to seeing him as he was always good for at least one joke and she needed that as she was still annoyed and slightly confused by her 'chat' with Bruce Wayne.

The elevators opened, and she stepped out into the large, empty front room with the huge desk Tony stands behind right next to the double front doors. The fact that it was empty and quiet didn't surprise her like it should have because Alfred had told her that there were very few people who could afford to live here so she was unlikely to see anyone around.

She stepped up the the desk that was so tall, and she so short that it came up to just below her chest so she couldn't see over it very well. Figuring that Tony was in the back room, and he'd be out in a second, she shifted a bit while she waited and glanced around. What she saw sitting on the desk a few feet away gave her pause.

A large purple rose.

While she didn't think it came from Tony (there was nothing romantic between them), she tried to shake off the first thought she had of who this was from... but deep down, she knew. Upon further inspection, she noticed there was a note attached. Hesitantly, she picked it up, and read the white card that was attached by a red ribbon;

 _Never make friends who can't defend themselves properly. Xoxo_

Under the letters there was a drawn smiley face with a red smile and black dots for eyes.

She still had doubts as to who this was from, which was probably just denial. But even if it was from _him_ , what does he mean by 'friends who can't defend themselves'? And in an instant, she knew.

Swallowing shakily, she stepped around the desk to behold a sickening sight as she looked in muted horror at Tony laying on the ground with a smile carved mercilessly into his face, and his shirt torn off to bare a naked chest with another message carved on it;

 _I heart you_

 _J_

She put her hands to her mouth and blubbered against them an endless mantra of, "I'msorry,I'msorry, I'msosorry". Knowing she was speaking to Tony, she was also- perhaps subconsciously- speaking to the Joker. As if an apology would lessen his vengeful anger, though she knew that would never be good enough. No, he probably wanted her screams of terror, and her blood in his hands for him to even begin to be satisfied.

Beginning to hyperventilate, and with a last sad look, she turned around to run back the way she'd come down here; through the lobby, into the elevator, then all the way up while she tried not to shriek. Finally, once in the penthouse, she dashed to the room designated to her that was not far from where she was now, and once there she slammed the door, locked it, then stood leaning on her hands while she tried calming herself down but that seemed less and less likely.

He'd found her. He was _in the same building she was in!_ She wasn't sure wether to laugh out loud or cry herself into hysterics. Her mind couldn't work through what he got off of killing one of her friends. Did he do it for the hell of it, or to send her a message? The one on the paper was just to tease and torment her certainly. But the carved message... was that said in jest, or was he serious? She couldn't decide which would be worse.

So worked up, and tightly wound was she that when her room's personal landline let out a shrill _rrring! she let_ out a shriek reminiscent of the one the blonde girl from the first Scream movie let out when the killers called her again, and nearly jumped out of skin. Calming herself down, she put a hand to her heart and figured she was being paranoid as it was probably Alfred calling since this place was so large that they often called each other to tell the other something important.

Walking to the cordless phone, she was about to pick up the still ringing device, but paused a minute to clear her throat and steady her voice so that she didn't sound the way she felt on the inside, and picked up the phone to answer it in a clear voice, "Hello, Alfred. Is-is that you?"

A content, deep, nasally sigh emanated from the phone and the same voice that spoke afterwards was _definitely_ not Alfred's, "I have waited- _ah_ a _very_ rea-son-able amount of hours before calling you even though you've been on my mind since I got up at four o-clock today". Then he said in a very guttural tone, "Hello, _Em-ilyy"._

She felt like her heart was in her throat, and she couldn't breath. It was as if his voice itself was caressing, and persuading her as he spoke and the feeling made her hair on her arms and neck rise up. "How did you find out where I am?" She demanded before she lost her voice entirely.

"It took some time...", he answered, evasively and changed the subject "Bruce Wayne's place- _uh_ ". It was like he was trying out the name and found it to be distasteful. "Not good enough for you here, so you ran to the richest person in the city, hm? What'd it cost you for his... _protection?_ "

Either it was his insinuation that she slept with Bruce Wayne, or his grating tone of voice but either way, it angered her. A lot. "Are you insane?" She could feel him about to respond so she quickly growled, "Don't answer that". Surprisingly, he didn't although she could practically taste his amusement and the fact that he found this at all funny only angered her further. "If you think, for one second that I left because we were in a warehouse, or I didn't have fancy dresses then you're dead wrong". Stealing her resolve, and trying to put strength in her words but failing, she continued, "You scare me... And not for reasons you might think; I've hardly ever been kissed, or touched and no matter what I said or did, you didn't care about me. You never took me seriously, and you never listened".

"I'm list-en-ing _now_ ". She could hear the repressed anger, and his clear annoyance as he ground out those three words.

"It is a bit late for that. No, I'm not going back".

A beat of silence, then he responded happily, "How about we start over. Ya know, as in, you come here _now_ and life will go on, _orr"._ His voice hardened, turned deep and angry, "You can continue being ob-sti-nate and more of your little buddies will _die_. Your choice, Em".

"See, that's your mistake- you think threatening me will convince me of anything, while everyone says you're so smart you're missing something big; you can't make me do things through force, and I won't give in... I'd rather be euthanized".

"You know, I'm probably no **t** the _best_ person to say that to". There was something in his voice she couldn't place when he said this. It sounded like... concern? "So are you saying you _would_ do what I asked if you weren't forced, is that right? Like say, you were re-warded for your good behavior?"

Where was he going with this? "Maybe..."

"Yes or no", he said in exasperation.

When was she going to get a better offer from him? "Y-yes".

"Then I have a great idea!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh", he said mischievously, and she could hear his tongue move across his lips as he licked them. "I'm not going to tell you _juust_ yet. Where's the fun in that? But don't worry, _sweetheart;_ when every-thing's worked out, I promise you'll be the first to know". He cleared his throat once. "In the mean-time; let's chat. I really missed this, let me tell you".

She sighed tiredly, already sick of his games. Sitting on the bay window, she looked at the cover of the newest book she'd started and responded to his suggestion, "What about?"

"How about what's been going on with your cat since you left?" Not waiting for a response, he continued, "Let's see... he likes to stay just out of range so I can't get my hands on him, but when I'm in bed he makes irritating noises just out-side the door, and when I get there, he's gone. Come to think of it; what he does is not so different from what you're doing".

She had no response to that except to say, "I know what you're doing. You're trying to make me want to come back. I can't believe it! I actually know what you're doing... I have been here too long".

He sighed again, this time in annoyance, then he paused before asking slowly as if she was three years old, "Do you re-member the, uh, day you promised to never run away?"

She felt a pang at the reminder; that day still stung in her memory- the day she promised to behave for him, to protect her parents. "Yes", she whispered.

His voice deepened once again, "You can't do this forever, my lit-tle Em- _Ilyy._ Soon, you'll get tired of running. While I, on the other hand, won't get tired of chasing, and you _will not_ leave this city.. because I won't le ** _t_** you leave".

"That's your opinion", she responded harshly, while still blinking back tears.

"You should really give what I said some thought. Remember; make the right de-ci-sions and you might get a great surprise".

"I'm sure", she said sarcastically.

He giggled, then said nasally, "Hopefully we'll get to see each other _very_ soon". He made a kiss sound, then hung up and the line went dead.

About to get up from her seat, she stopped when something across the street caught her attention; There was a darkly dressed man (the only person on the lit street) with wild, blonde hair who was in the process of putting a phone in his hoodie pocket, then sliding both his hands in the same pocket against the cold, drizzling night air, and he looked up, and she looked on in horror at the features on his face... Dark brown eyes that seemed to laugh at you as if enjoying a hidden joke, high cheek bones, and an extended smile that added to his already smiling lips that were grinning at her from across the street. He winked just before disssapearing into the shadows behind him...

 **A/N**

 **Dont know 'bout you guys, but I, for one, am excited for these coming chapters! I missed these two together. Now please review so I know you feel the same way.**


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: read chapter 2**

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 **Before anyone says anything about this chapter; 'No, No, and NO I am not trying to make Emily and Bruce Wayne into a thing'. No way no how. Not happening, that is not what this interaction here is about, thank you, and good night.**

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" _Breathe, Em. Breathe. Deep breath, now count down and let it out. 5..4..3...2..1",_ she exhaled shakily with her head between her knees and could not help noticing how pathetic she was that after seeing the source of all her fears after just a few days, in the flesh, right outside her window, has sent her into a full-on panic attack. Ridiculous, but she could hardly help it.

She was done with this now, so standing slowly she stood in the middle of the room thinking about her next move. There was really only two options for her; wether she should stay here, where the Joker knows her to be, or leave now which would probably not be something he'd expect her to do. But she's been wrong before.

Sighing, she paced slowly to help her frazzled mind focus more. There were certainly pros and cons for each idea- staying here meant comfort, some stability, and company to help her stave off insanity. But speaking of Alfred, that brought one thing to the front of her mind; she could never forgive herself if he died as a result of her selfish desire to stay here. She knew that, and it was a huge reason why she was leaning towards leaving as soon as possible, among other reasonings such as; The Joker wouldn't have anyone to threaten her with, and he probably thought she would give in soon judging by his smug tone while on the phone with him, and she already knew there would be complications regarding her leaving here, like that he was obviously, and blatantly watching this building but she reasoned that he couldn't do that twenty-four seven. Of course, he had the option of leaving someone else to watch her but somehow she doubted that; he was just too controlling to leave the job to anyone else. Another complication is that she would be in danger of re-capture every minute she was in the open, and once she was caught again... she was certain she knew _exactly_ what he would do then. But every choice has risks, and this was one she could and _would_ live with.

A great philosopher once said that the only way one could truly judge a person's character was by the decisions they make when under extreme pressure. Now, she may not be a completely selfless human being, but she was willing to risk being a captive once again if it meant she wouldn't have to live with more of her friends' deaths on her conscience.

That decided, she now pondered where to go. If she went anywhere close by he would find her very quickly, and then he probably wouldn't give her a warning this time before taking her. No, she had to get very far away. So far that he would dismiss her being there without a second thought, and the first place she thought of, was the Narrows. Sure, it was supposed to have terrible people there, but there were good things about it like the availability of water (there was a pond in the park, and the water could be boiled for safety), food such as the wild fruit in the bushes she had seen, and the reason she thought of this was because she had let go the idea of getting a job because then she might make a friend or someone else close to her will be in danger of getting murdered because _he_ certainly hardly ever needs an excuse. And another plus (though, admittedly it was also terrifying) was that it was close to the old warehouse, and though she shivered at the memories from there, she knew it would be totally unexpected for her to be so close by and there was definitely plenty of abandoned apartments, buildings, and factories one could live inside and that made it the ideal place to go.

So now all she needed to do was prepare, which she would do in the early morning. Instead, now she readied for bed, and once bathed, brushed, and wearing pajamas she then lay on her side with her back to the window. Hugging a pillow to her chest, and staring blankly at the opposite wall. She had left the bathroom light on with the door open just as her mother did for her whenever she complained of a particularly bad nightmare as a child. Only this, was all too real.

...

She stood in the hallway in front of her bedroom door, and closed it softly even though there was no reason to as she was the only person on this level. It just felt right to close it reverently because she was well aware that this may very well be the last time she has any comfort or contact with anyone or thing besides herself or maybe the occasional stranger because as she'd previously established; there was no going back from the choices she had made, and from here on out, she would just try to live as simple a life as possible. Easier said than done.

Her shoulders were slumped, and her head bowed as she walked towards the elevator, and passing the living room on the way.

"Leaving so soon, without even saying goodbye to Alfred?" A man's distinct voice asked from somewhere to her right, and she halted in her tracks at the loaded question.

Turning to face the person, she noted with distaste just who it was; Bruce Wayne. There he sat in the armchair across the room from the tv that was no longer on, and staring at her with a knowing look in his brown eyes while he sat in the shadows. What was it with him and the dark?

Raising her chin, she responded with annoyance, "If you're trying to make me feel guilty, or looking for a thank you or an apology, then you're-"

"I'll have you know I was actually waiting here to tell you something important". He saw her disbelieving look, and he smiled for the first time. "I wanted to apologize myself for talking to you like you were ten years old, and to tell you that I thought over what you said last night... and you're right". Noticing her confused look, he elaborated, "You are right about Batman. While I don't agree with you that the Batman needs to come back, it's nonetheless true that there's really no excuse for him abandoning the helpless to a life being ruled by the scum that he himself put away". His voice had grown quiet, and he was looking at his hands clasped in his lap.

Paying no mind to his strange behavior, she asked him suspiciously, "Why the change of heart about what I said? Surely there must be a bigger reason than you pondering what I said all night". She crossed her arms, and raised an eyebrow.

"Really, there's not any other reason for me telling you this other than the fact that I can't deny that you're right. And also.." His eyes turned a bit more intense. "You remind me of someone I lost a while back. You don't look a thing like her, but she would have berated me just the same way you did last night".

Casting her eyes to the floor, she mumbled an apology for his loss, which he shrugged off.

Hesitantly raising her eyes, she asked him softly, "How did she die, if you don't mind my asking?"

His hands clenched and he didn't respond as he stared off into the distance, but slowly he relaxed and his features grew even more tired than they were yesterday and he sighed deeply once before he responded still not looking at her, "It was a number of things, the main one being my own stupidity... I was an idiot for thinking I could protect her and still be someone I'm not at the same time". He seemed to be talking only to himself now, "If I had just seen past my arrogance, and not followed his directions so blindly, then maybe she would be here now. All my previous training, all my skills were useless against him... It's my fault".

Who's him? And what training has he received? She was dying to ask these questions, but at the moment it didn't feel like the right time as his eyes were glistening, and he was breathing shakily. Instantly she felt sorry for ever having thought any kind of mean spirited things towards him- he was obviously grieving, and she should respect that. So she didn't question him. Until the next whispered words out of his mouth reached her ears;

"The Joker will probably never pay for what he has done".

The Joker killed his friend? Is that why Alfred didn't want her to say anything about the clown to Bruce Wayne? It all made sense now, except for one thing... what did it matter if Bruce Wayne knew she was kidnapped by the Joker? What could he possibly do about it? She didn't understand, but she learned not to question Alfred- he always seems to know what was best for everyone.

Deciding it was time to say final words, and be gone, she said to him in the kindest voice she could muster, "You never know Mr. Wayne... Maybe Batman _will_ return someday, and put these no account thugs in their place". That sounded way too forced to her own ears.

He must have noticed the same thing because he smirked, and stood up to walk over to her as he dug in his pocket. "I wouldn't get my hopes up. But I guess anything can happen, especially in Gotham".

Now standing in front of her, he took her hand- noticing how she tensed at the contact, but he didn't comment on it, instead he put cash in her palm, then closed her fingers around it before dropping the hand.

She stared at him in confusion before opening her mouth to object, but he swiftly cut her off, "Don't even object, because this is a gift, and I won't let you leave it here".

Her cheeks heated in embarrassment as she said, "Thanks. And, Mr. Wayne, could you... please tell Alfred goodbye for me? And say that I wanted to stay, but I have somewhere I need to be?"

"Of course. And it's OK to call me Bruce- everyone does".

She nodded, and he reached out a hand to shake hers. Tentatively placing her hand in his, they shook their joined hands, and just before letting go, Bruce said, "One more thing. Please remember, Emily, that even when times seem hard, (and believe me, I know) you never let anyone in this city beat you down. And what I mean by that is; stick to your convictions no matter what, because at times they are all you have to hold onto.. I don't know where that came from, but maybe it's because I'm turning into Alfred".

She smiled, then they both let go, and she left without a backward glance, fearing that if she did look back, she would be too tempted to stay if only to see Alfred's face one last time.

Finding yourself standing in one of the lesser populated areas of Gotham was intimidating to say the least. Although, she suspected that quite a few citizens moved away after The Joker made himself known. The only people who were probably still here were most likely either very poor, rich, have some family here, or are too stubborn to leave. There might even be some who think the Batman will come back to save them. Emily wasn't sure where she would fit in if she was able to leave at all. But she knew she can't, and when she thought about the person keeping her here, she looked over her shoulder for the hundredth time that day, and wondered once more if she could actually had a leg up on the Joker. Maybe he still thought she was at the penthouse or something because she had been very careful when leaving; it was still dark out and she was in a dark blue long sleeved shirt with dark jeans and a hoodie, and she'd gone around the large building, down an alleyway, over a few fences while surely trespassing all the while, mainly keeping to the back ways and sides of the huge building around her to stay clear of the road, and sidewalk. The only time she went into the open was to get a gross hotdog, and some bottled water.

" _Hope I did_ something _right after all that. 'Cause I'm basically right back where I started right after I first escaped_ ", she thought to herself, tugging her clothes closer to her core as it started to drizzle again which it had been doing on and off all day.

She decided she hated rain. Hated how it reminded her of the cold chill she got whenever _he_ looked at her.. or kissed her. It was hard to focus on being inconspicuous whenever she thought about him- his dark eyes, tall figure, and creepy smile were enough to make her wish she had eyes on the back of her head to watch for potential danger. He had no right to do this to her, to torment her mind, and hunt her.

" _The jerk, the evil-"_ her inner venting was cut short when there was a loud thundering that sounded overhead, and forced her to take shelter.

And she did find shelter. In a small, older looking clothing/antique costume and furniture store that sat somewhere between the Narrows and the busier part of Gotham judging by how run down it was, but not nearly as roughed up as 99% of the stores in the Narrows were. It would do just fine for overnight shelter, but she didn't stop to wonder why the place wasn't locked- she was just too relieved to be somewhere other than outside in the open. But she took note that the things in here (while old they may be) were nothing expensive, there was no cash register, and very few pieces of furniture, or gaudy masks displayed in the window as well as at least half the clothing was gone. The owners must have moved, she belatedly realized. All the better. She wouldn't have to worry about someone coming into the cross-fire that would be between her and the Joker. Speaking of him, he still hasn't made an appearance yet, and when she looked outside to see no clowns to speak of she only barely relaxed her tensed muscles. Yes, instead of _him_ there was only the grayish tint over everything outside that came from heavy overcast sunsets- you couldn't see it, but the look of it had a curiously calming effect.

Because these people moved, obviously no one paid the power bill in all this time. Or so she thought, and so when the small, dim light flickered to life in the main room she was pleasantly surprised- she'd never be able to sleep in this dark. She was already extremely on edge at the moment, and she didn't know why that was.. Something just didn't feel right, but she shrugged it off as best she could, trying to convince herself he had forgotten about her completely.

She was glad for something else to do besides worrying, and what she did was go into the bathroom down the hall at the back of the store to use it for water, and looking inside the three stalls to make sure no one else was in here, even though it was impossible to tell for certain; there were far too many racks, and clothing items to look behind, and though it was hard to see inside the bathroom because light only emanated from outside, and the small light bulb in the front room, she did notice the lock on the inside of the bathroom door which was odd; stalled restrooms don't usually have a lock inside them because the stalls themselves are there for locking doors. Not paying it much mind, her filling up her water bottle took longer than she wanted it to because she wanted to hurry and get back to the room with lots more light, and maybe go buy some more food in a little while- she was getting really hungry, and her hip bones were sticking out prominently even though she thought she gained weight since staying at Bruce Wayne's. But that was the least of her worries.

The bottle was finally finished filling up with the trickling water from the spout, so she shut it off then thirstily took in gulps of it to rehydrate her parched throat. Amazing how someone could be so drenched all day, but their mouth never gets moist enough. She sighed, happy for this simple thing that most people take for granted.

Stepping into the hall with her water in hand, she left the bathroom door open while she walked to the front door, but she stopped a moment to look at a book. Little Red Riding Hood was laying amidst a pile of other books that were strewn across the wood floor like garbage. Gingerly picking it up, she dusted it off, and opened it while she walked towards the door. The bathroom door was now further away from her than the front door was, and she had her back to all the clothing, and mask racks. That was her second mistake. The third being not locking the door to the store.

Hearing a clatter from behind and to the right of her, she immediately whirled around and once she did, her eyes widening, she dropped the precious book and her water so the contents spilled over onto the hardback. Totally destroying it.

The Joker, without war paint, purple suit, or clown-like shoes looked no less intimidating as he leaned against a sturdy clothing rack. The only thing stopping her from either hyperventilating or fainting on the spot was the fact that he was not even looking at her yet. He was actually studying a creepy werewolf mask that dangled from his gloved fingers.

"My my, what _big-ah_ eyes you have, _my dearr_ ", he quoted to her in a purring, sing-song way and raising only his eyes to stare at her from a mere ten feet away.

She didn't care if he was a hundred feet away; it still wouldn't be nearly far enough for her liking. Panicked, she twirled round to leap the few feet to the door she had come in through that held promise of escape. Even though she knew he would never be careless enough to leave it unlocked, she had to try because if she didn't, she would be admitting certain defeat, but honestly, at this point, it seemed inevitable especially because just as she'd expected; it was locked.

Stopping the the distressed whimper from rising entirely and escaping her throat, she clamped her lips shut and balled her fists. She wanted to scream and berate herself for her naivety- how could she be so stupid? Footsteps from behind her that approached sowly only added to her desperate desire to escape. This door had been unlocked earlier! Hearing a throat being cleared being her, she was sure it was a command to turn around and she did so, not seeing any other option but to obey.

He was holding the key between his thumb and forefinger with it raised chest level, while he had a very pleased expression on his face as his eyes that looked black in this lighting, seemed to drink in every feature on her face. She barely had time to mentally curse him before he had tucked the key into his pants pocket, then clasped her head between his hands to hold her there, and she trembled shrinking back both from his touch and his proximity. She wasn't sure yet if it was a very bad thing that he'd put the key away just now. Did it mean he wasn't leaving with her just yet, and instead going to kill her? She gulped. He wouldn't go through all this just to kill her now, which in her mind was the worst alternative, as she has said before; she would rather be dead.

Her inner musings were cut short when he did something unexpected; he kissed her head, and his fingers relaxed their hold just enough to brush her temples, and the tenderness of it that was so uncharacteristic, it brought up more fear of him than she could ever remember feeling. She couldn't push back the thought of how romantic this would be under other circumstances, and the unfairness of it brought a lump to her throat that try as she might, she couldn't swallow past, and her fingers dug into the splintering door behind her, puncturing her skin and making them bleed.

Once he pulled back to stare down at her, she moved shaky, bleeding hands up to his hard chest, and pushed feebly whimpering incoherently, "No, you can't. This isn't fair".

She didn't even noticed the ridiculous tears until he moved both hands to wipe them away, and she stared at him warily as he did so- he was changed slightly, and she didn't know how much, or what was the cause of it, but there was definitely something different about his eyes. But her gut could never trust him, not after what he'd done to her. While she thought over his change, THe Joker was thinking to himself that this was not the Emily that he enjoyed the most- he wanted her to stop the theatrics (even though he's really one to talk).

Smiling a devilish grin that he thought was his least menacing, but probably looked the same to her, he asked her teasingly, "Where's my little fiery Em gone, hm? What's with the frown?"

When she didn't immediately respond, he crooned to her, "Now there's no reason for you to be _scared_ , Em _-ilyy_. I'm not going to _kill_ you".

Somehow, she was able to form a whispered response, "There are some fates worse than death".

He understood what she meant, and it annoyed him as his hand on her cheek clenched. Then he smiled again but the anger in his eyes did not diminish in the slightest as he let out a forced chuckle, and shook her head in his hand. "There she is. My fighter. Would you like me to think up one of these 'worse fates' for you? Be warned; I've got a great imagination when it comes to these things".

"Why are you even here?" She asked even though she most certainly knew the answer already.

Grinning slyly, he rested his forehead against her's and breathed his words across her face, "I think it's pretty obvious".

"It never is", she shot back, growing more nerve by the second and for as long as his head was against her's, she was fighting back the urge to spit in his face.

Leaning back, he grew more serious than she could ever remember him being before while he whispered to her, "I missed you... I. _Want. You. Back"._

Fighting the chills she felt running up her spin, she squared her shoulders and hissed, "I made it clear that I'm _not_ going back, didn't I?"

Noticing her nervous glance at the flickering light bulb above them, he took advantage of her fear, and changed the subject as he asked menacingly, "Still don't like the dark?" She never told him that she was scared of it, but of course he would notice that.

"I'd like to spend countless hours with it than with you", she snarled but the quaver in her voice was painfully apparent, and he knew he was winning by the look in his dark eyes. She swallowed, then relented, "Yes... I am still afraid of it".

"You know.. If you don't come back with me, you will have to face that fear. Right now". He tried persuasion.

"I hate this place!" She cried out, unsure herself wether she was referring to this particular store they were currently in, or all of Gotham.

"You have _an-other_ o _p_ tion.." he sing-songed to her.

"So do you", she responded bitingly, telling him with her eyes how much she wished he would decide to do for her what she was insinuating; let her go. When he just continued to look at her, and not respond, she scoffed quietly, and looked down. "Yeah, I didn't think so".

Leaning into her so that they were now nose to nose, he said deeply as he stared into her eyes, "Look at me, Em _-ilyy"._ Another inch closer, she still refused to look, instead turning her head away in fear of him kissing her and she could feel the heat from his lips just centimeters away. "Come _oon._ Give it up, Em... Come home with me".

His heat-filled lips grazed her cheek, and it was enough to spark a reaction from her as she thought to herself, " _I escaped once, and I'm in craploads of trouble because of it, surely. It might as well_ stay _that way"._

Swiftly kneeing him in the groin, she ducked under his arm and ran towards the restroom. Apparently whatever he was (as she had learned once before) he had the same sensitivities as he doubled over for a couple seconds. Which was not enough time, she realized when she felt him reach for her arm but miss, and the air passed over her skin, giving her the motivation she needed to push herself and sprint the whole way there without looking back.

Slamming and locking the door behind her, she stood leaning against it while she panted heavily from the short exertion, and listened carefully for sounds on the other side. At first, she heard nothing, but she didn't let her guard down for even a minute. Then there was footsteps, and a quietly high pitched chuckle from the other side, and since the door was two inches off the ground, she could see his shadow on the other side.

"Are you coming out anytime soon, or are you, uh, going to stay there all night, because _we've_ got places to be".

"There's the door, please feel free to go anytime you feel like". She wasn't sure where this sarcasm came from.

"You know I can't do that, _sweethear_ **t** ". His voice was like he was arguing with a three year old- it grated on her neerves.

"Why not? Why can't you find someone else to be creepy with?" She demanded for no reason other than to purposely annoy him the way he was annoying her.

A sigh from his side, then a creak in the door as he leaned against it. "What did I say about _good_ be-hav-ior? Do you want my incredible surprise or not, because you are not heading down a very, shall we say, _polite_ path".

"I don't care! I don't care about your stupid promises that are always lies, I don't care what you say, I just want to know what exactly you came here for".

She heard a very faint, "Silly, silly girl- _uh_ ". Then he raised his voice to his regular volume and still keeping the nasally tone, "I _came_ to take- by force if necessary- what is mine. Of course...you _could_ come _quietly, my dearr"._

Backing away from the door in fear, she spoke shakily, "I don't want to be taken".

"I _knoow_ that", he said with exasperation lacing his tone. "How about we make up by each of us apologizing?"

"That would imply that you think you've done something wrong... But surely I'm mistaken".

"Oh come on, nobody's per- _fect_ ". She imagined he shrugged in a carefree way as he said that.

What an irritating thing to say. "I really don't like when people say that because you can't use that as an excuse to act however you want".

"Interesting concept, and I'd really love to hear more about it, _buut_ would you look at the time! I've got somewhere to be, but don't worry; since you can't make it, I'll be sure to mention you. And don't even _think_ about leaving because I, as you know, have the key to this place, so no one's coming in or out without _my_ say so. And I promise that if you still won't come out, and even if I have things to do, I will def-init-ely make time for _vis-its"._

His tone implied anything but civilized company, and she immediately ran to the toilet to throw up the bile from her stomach. Combine the promise of his return, her burning stomach, and that there was basically no light in here, she expected it to be a very long night with no promise of sunrise. She was trapped with one way out, and only the clown had the key.


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer: read chapter 2**

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"Have you ever wondered.. How _long_ it takes for a person to suffocate under a blanket? I bet it's getting pretty st-uffy in there now, right?" He had been pestering her by talking endlessly about disturbing things in hopes of driving her nuts enough to answer him. So far, no such luck.

He heard her move a little and couldn't help wondering what she's doing in there.

At length there was a response from inside, and he grinned. "... I thought you had somewhere to be".

Shifting so he was sitting on his other knee because one had fallen asleep, and shuffling a deck of cards like a pro while he answered her, " _Welll,_ it can wait because re-alis-tic-ally I have plenty of time to sit here with you and enjoy the night. It's just like old times. Besides as far as I'm concerned, my time is your time because now that I know what it's like at home without you, it's _soo_ incredibly lonely and boring".

Waiting for her response was excruciating as it was beyond boring, and also...a little worrying for him, which he quickly smothered under indifference. But it was hard to ignore the little voice in his head that told him he should say something else, because he had to grudgingly admit that this wasn't working.

"Em _-ilyy.."_ He sang softly in hopes that it would evoke a response. Wait, there was a quiet sniffle. At least now he knew she wasn't dead or anything.

"You know something", she said very quietly, straining his hearing but he could hear, and he didn't respond, just listened. "I wasn't even planning to run away, I was willing to just deal with this for the rest of my life... But now that it's happened, and I have, I'm going to take advantage of it as I said before. There's no way you can convince me to come back, and there's nothing that could ever change my mind. And no matter what you say, I _will_ prove you wrong, and find a way out of here".

Snickering like a hyena, he said coldly, "Though I seriously _doubt_ you will, I feel obligated to warn you that there are peo-ple and _thingss_ out there, besides my-self, that could kill".

"You're probably lying about that because I haven't seen anything of the sort".

His black eyes narrowed. "You think I'm exaggerating, hm? And you've been out there for...what? Two _whole days?_ Wow, must be some kind of record". The sarcasm grated more annoyingly than his very nassal tone. "I be-lieve you have just been very lucky".

"Of course you would say that", she said with utter certainty. "You want me to think the only safe place in this city is with you".

He grinned again, and ran his tongue over the inside of his bottom lip. "You did admit once that I'm the biggest danger around here, and you're safer if you stay on my good side".

"I remember you saying you _don't_ have a good side at all, and yes, I did say you're the biggest danger though I didn't use that particular wording. But I'd rather face those unknown dangers, than you".

"Touché.." He mocked.

"... How about giving me a chance?" Her voice sounded so hopeful and convincing. "That would be interesting, right?... You said you wouldn't get tired of the chase..."

"Why let you out now? All I need to get you out is to find a good lock smith, _orrr_ wait until you can't stand it anymore. Not to mention that even if you _did_ leave here, say through a window maybe, you won't get very far with all the scum that are, uh, ou **t** there to-night"..

He was so smug, and sure about what he was saying, that she wished she could punch him. While he was talking, and her eyes adjusted to the near pitch black in this bathroom she tried her best to ignore him, and started searching for any means of escape, and she had miraculously found something.

A very small window.

It sat on the far side of the bathroom wall. But it was really small, as in, her hips would barely fit through, but she would find a way. The only reason it took her so long to find it was because of how dark it was both inside this room and outside. She knew there were large front windows to this place, but she didn't think it would be very smart to crash through them and draw attention to herself, and now that she stood in front of the small window to the restroom, she saw that it opened to an alleyway that was cloaked in shadows. Perfect; she would be hardly visible to anyone from the front, and when she was out she could easily scale the chain link fence, and get out over it to run behind the building next to this one. Once in front of the window, she figured she would use the tipped over trash can so she could step up and crawl out. One problem; she needed to break the window to get out, as it wasn't wide enough for her to crawl out with it propped open, but she couldn't very well do that as long as he was here with her. She would just have to wait, she supposed. But each minute he was here, she was terrified that he actually did have the key to get in here, and was only waiting outside to freak her out.

Realizing he had said something, she called back, "Then you'll be sitting there for a while because I'm not coming out if I can help it".

..."Everyone has a _breaking poin_ **t** ", he growled gutteraly.

She had no response to that, so she wrapped her arms around herself and instead of talking, she remained quiet for a minute gathering her thoughts, trying to ignore her hunger, and her company.

"You know, I'm not lying". He said, suddenly startling her out of her thoughts.

She decided to humor him as she asked, "About what?"

"About all the terr-ors out there that are itching to devour that pretty head of yours. I have a great idea; let's talk about something good, maybe some verbal sparing will convince you to leave".

Snorting, she said, "Doubtful, but we can talk if you want". She didn't know why he suggested this, but she didn't mind if he wanted to talk because his silence unnerved, and scared her more than his outbursts.

"Ooh! Let's start with discussing that doorman.. what did his name tag say? Anyways, now _he_ took quite a while to, uh, finally _bleed_ out completely, but I was very happy with how it turned out. Weren't _you_?" His voice had turned dark and menacing by the end and you could feel the tension in the air.

She gulped. Tony, he was talking about him, and basically rubbing it in her face.

Shoving back the fear, and mustering up as much venom to her voice as she could, she said, "There wasn't anything between us, just so you know. He has- _had_ a wife and kids, actually".

"That is _soo_ touching that you didn't re-place me. But that's not the main reason I did it". Sarcasm, again.

For whatever hope was left in her, she had to ask this one question, "H-have you ever considered replacing...me?"

His answer was swift and immediate while holding a trace of amusement, and felt like a knife to the stomach for her, "Never. I am a man of my _word,_ so when I say that no one, ever has held my attention as long as you have, then you can take that as _fac_ **t** ".

Sighing, she sat against the wall, and settled herself to doze not far from the door so that she wouldn't have to sit in complete pitch black because there was light coming from under the door. She certainly did not get closer to share his company.

Half into the lightweight feeling one gets when blessed sleep is about to take over, you can imagine how startled she was when a bag was shoved none too gently under the door, and making a loud crinkly sound in the quiet room.

She stared warily at it from a few feet away, not trusting anything from _him_ , but at the same time wondering why he would do this.

" _Of course, he doesn't want an emancipated torture toy",_ she thought to herself, and all her old fears from weeks and weeks ago came to the front of her mind full-force, and she quivered in fear.

Meanwhile on the other side of the door, The Joker crouched, waiting for maybe a thank you or the sound of the bag opening, but there was none of that, instead there was silence.

Cocking his blonde head, he sang, "Em- _ilyy._ Are you alive, in there?"

The bag was shoved back under the door to him, and he was staring at it in slight confusion when there was a clipped, "No, thanks" from the other side.

He purposely sighed loudly before he responded, "There are quite a few _easier_ ways out there to die, than starving to death, just some _professional_ advice _-uh_ ".

"I'm not going to starve, and I'm not going to die because I'm getting out of this".

It was so _frustrating_ her behavior right now, but he kept his temper in check for the time being- if he lashed out now, not only would it not solve anything, but she'd be even less likely to come out. And he was prepared to do something he felt to be beneath him, before he resorted to some... _drastic_ measures.

Keeping a tight hold on the anger, he pushed the food back under, and said with fake sweetness, "Keep telling yourself that, Em. We'll be together again soon enough, but in the, um, meantime, you should eat this. Now, I _promise_ , on my mother's grave that this is not drugged or poisoned because why would I do a thing like that, there's no reason to 'cause now _I know where you are"_. Wether he intended to or not, it came off as very menacing, and scary to her.

He listened, and after about a minute, there was rustling, and a mumbled thanks from the other side, and he smiled devilishly as he stood up, crossing his arms as he said mockingly, "See, that's not so hard, is it?"

Hardly a sound in there for a while, then total silence and he assumed she went to sleep. Turning around, he left to go find someone she will trust enough to come out for; _Katie._ He really did not understand why his Emily enjoyed the older woman's company so much- Kate was no fun, so straight-faced, tense, and bo-ring. But if there was a way he could convince Emily to come out before she died, then he would do it. He didn't think there would be enough time for her to realize his absence and escape as he would only be gone for half an hour at most.

As he walked into the night, he pondered. For some odd reason he wouldn't even say in his own mind, he did not have a problem with killing off his brainless lackeys, Gotham citizens, officials, or even- albeit, indirectly- murdering kids. It wasn't the same to him as _her_ dying. She was different from them all, and maybe he didn't know it, but she brought out in him something that, though it didn't change a thing about his core personality, it had a huge effect on his memories, and his nearly non-existent merciful side. Such as, all of a sudden he has been remembering nights he spent as a little kid (though, they were extremely fuzzy almost as if he was watching someone else's dreams play out) who was trying to comfort the dying mother he hadn't cared for most of his life because he resented that she couldn't protect him or his little sister from their abusive father.. but seeing someone who was too weak to stand, or care for her tiny son and daughter was something that was buried in his mind but never completely forgotten. These thoughts did not soften him in any way, they just added anger at his father, fury that he and his sibling were separated forever. But he didn't see why he thought of these things more than he had before now that he had Emily. He intended to find out exactly why for the life of him, he just couldn't let her go...

... Unbeknownst to him, Emily wasn't asleep at all. She had been simply sitting and waiting for something to happen when she heard him muttering to himself, and then his receding footsteps, and the very faint sound of a door shutting in the distance.

She leapt to her feet to walk over to the window, but paused a moment to think this over. What if he was tricking her into coming out? What if he was waiting for her? She shivered, and rubbed her arms. She knew her choices were limited, and as strongly as she didn't want to go back with him, she understood that she had some decisions to make. If she stayed in here, he will definitely find a way in eventually and when he did, the possibilities of what he could do to her then, were so numerous and daunting, she found herself wishing she were already dead.

No. She must not think like that, she needed to think of a happier (although less likely) future for herself. Maybe she will find a way to see her parents one day, or she could somehow completely lose the Joker once and for all. She was determined that there will be no more tears, she will aspire to look on the bright side, and absolutely never lose hope. Never consider death as an alternative to a crappy life, she decided. It doesn't solve _anything,_ only leaves behind sorrow.

Deciding she had wasted enough time thinking, she filled up her water bottle, and drank until she was satisfied, then all the while taking in calming breaths, she put the trash can directly under the window, and stepped up while thinking to herself bitterly not for the first time that it pays to be tall as she pushed with all her might on the glass window. Try as she might, though it was too high, and she didn't have enough leverage to even crack it. Letting out a frustrated grunt, and giving it a hard push, she finally saw a tiny crack in the middle where her hands had been. It was very promising, and so she kept pushing, and pushing, straining her back, and arm muscles as she did so.

Finally, it broke sending glass fragments down onto the pavement with a tinkling musical sound. Now for the hard part. It was just below her shoulder level as she stood on the garbage can, so she used all her strength, and hopped up to hoist herself forward, and out into the cold air outside. A problem has occurred, though- she was too high up to make a head dive out, thus she slowly, and excruciatingly painfully twisted so it was her rear end on the sill, and not her stomach, ending up with her sitting with her back to the outside, her legs still in the bathroom, and glass splinters digging into her thighs. Resisting her will to cry out, she tentatively pulled one leg at a time out onto the window sill so she was now crouched on it, and grasping the top of the window to keep from falling backwards.

Knowing this would be a bit painful, she turned herself, and let her grip go to jump/fall onto her feet, but stumble onto her knees. Assessing herself, she didn't feel too worse for wear, just bruised and a little cut up. But she would take it over being confined to that room.

Letting out a breathy, glad laugh, she stopped it instantly before it could attract unwanted attention. At the thought of it, she stood up to look around for anything out of the ordinary, there didn't appear to be but she knew better than to believe anything at first glance, and figured she should get the hell out of there if she wanted to avoid capture. Thus, not knowing or caring where she was headed, she started running as fast as her battered body would allow her to in any direction, she didn't care, she just wanted to get away. And not knowing of the trouble she was about to face, she ran in the direction of a worse monster's lair...

... Kate had been somewhat surprised when the Joker returned after being gone for nearly two whole days, and interrupted her in the middle of directing the newest group of thugs to important tasks and he had asked (demanded really) that she come with him right now. To where, he didn't say, though she suspected, and was instantly worried for Emily's sake.

After a brief walk with him to a nearby shop, they were stopped in front of it while the Joker told her what was going on, "You are not going to say a _single negative word_ about myself, you _will_ convince her to come out, and _make sure_ to, uh... _prac-tice_ some actual emotion, maybe that will help", he finished in a mocking way.

She quirked a brow, but shrugged and said with feigned politeness, "You're the boss, but I'm doing this for her, not you".

"Yeah, yeah. If you don' **t** mind; Get. In. There". He quite literally growled.

Shrugging, she walked past him, and to the door he had told her about while he stood outside to do who knows what.

Pressing a hand to the door, she asked softly, "Emily? It's me Kate.. Are you ok? It's all right, he's not here".

Dead silence. Now she was concerned. "Emily?" She called again, anxiously. "If you're in there, you need to now; its not safe in this part of town...both the Riddler _and_ Killer Croc have recently been seen around here. _Please_ come out".

When there was nothing but quiet from the other side once again, Kate couldn't stop the flashes of her little son's face from flashing to her mind as this situation reminded her of the failure she felt herself as a mother to not be able to save her child. She wasn't about to make the same mistake again, so calling up on her previous training, and wondering briefly why her boss didn't think of this, she saw that the door had no deadbolt, and finding the weak spot, she kicked it, and when it rebounded off the wall she stopped it with her right hand and quickly scanned the entire room.

She froze; the window was shattered, with drops of blood on it.

Turning around, she walked quickly to the front of the store and outside to find The Joker leaning against the railing, and staring with an annoyed look on his face.

"Well?" he drawled.

"She's not there, she left through the small bathroom window".

He frowned, and stood up straighter as he seemed to be thinking something over in his head.

This confused her that he didn't seem that worried, but then she remembered that when he acts that emotionless, he usually has a trick up his sleeve, or is masking an intense emotion inside.

"What do you want me to do?"

His eyes snapped to hers, and he responded carelessly, "Nothing. I can, uh, take it from here".

He skipped down the steps, then hopped off the last three to start walking down the dark street. And as Kate stared after him, she scowled at his retreating figure and she felt a rather unexpected surge of pity for the both of them. The Joker may not be someone who inspires pity, but there is something to be said for people with no concept of what love is.

The Joker was, in fact, trying to hide how he really felt because what he felt could not be described and since he found this to be a weakness, he did not want others to see it but..he was trying and failing to silence the very distracting voice in his head that kept telling him what danger Emily was in right now, and even though he didn't know exactly _why_ he cared, he couldn't deny that he did, in fact, care. The excitement of the hunt was dampened by what he knew was lurking on these particular streets, and when he thought about her out there, his hands clenched, and his stomach felt a turning sensation and he couldn't say just what emotion caused it...

... It was black as ink on these streets, and started to drizzle again which was no surprise really but not any less miserable.

Emily was getting very tired, and her stomach still burned with a churning sensation while she tried to keep thoughts of begging for the Joker's mercy out of her mind. She didn't want it to come to that even though she had no plan right now to speak of, and she was freezing witch nowhere to go. _He_ was actually almost preferable to the biting cold in the air. Almost.

Huddled under the roof of what looked like an old movie theater, she shivered but could not help noticing that this street was made up of totally abandoned apartment complexes, and stores with many of them having broken in windows with only a couple working street lamps to be seen though she wasn't anywhere near them. This made her uncomfortable, as did the strangest feeling she got that felt like..she was being watched.

Looking in the far away distance she could see a car or two drive by, a stoplight further on with the store she had vacated somewhere that way. These observations brought very little comfort as she still couldn't shake this feeling of being watched.

Stepping away way from the building she was standing against, she was about to walk across the street when a peculiar, and shockingly unexpected sound met her ears. It was the sound one's bare foot makes as you step out of the shower onto the tiled floor.

Whipping around, she tried to see through the rain, but there was hardly any light around, the only source being a lamp at least seven large buildings down the street. And there was not a person around to speak of which was even more unnerving.

When the sound didn't start again, she tried chalking it up to her imagination as she turned back around when it started again but this time it didn't stop, it kept up somewhere down the alley beside her, and it was picking up speed.

 _splat! splat!_

 _splat! splat!_

 _splat! splat!_

She looked on in wide-eyed horror, unable to move, breath or blink as she stared at the mouth of the alley waiting for this thing to come into the minuscule light when a slithery, deep and hissing voice said quietly, " _What an interesssting smell you have, it's like spices and chocolate... You're bleeding_ ". The last part had excitement and... _hunger_ in it.

When the creature/man stepped slowly out of the complete darkness, she immediately recognized him as one of the villains meeting at the Riddler's hideout but that's really all she knew about him. Though from the way he was looking at her, she could guess one thing he was capable of; Cannibalism.

He took another step, and her flight or fight instinct kicked in so for the second time that night she ran her heart out towards the nearer open door she could reach. But she severely underestimated this creature's agility, and speed as he was upon her and crashing into her in the next second so they were both rolling off the curb and onto the deserted street.

While they rolled, she fought for all she was worth by clawing and punching. Might as well have been doing this against a brick wall because his skin had a scaly hardness to it that was not only extremely unpleasant to touch, but terrifying as well.

Trying to punch his face again, her side of her hand was caught in his fanged mouth as he bit down painfully hard, and she couldn't remember the last time ever feeling so much pain and she let out a bloodcurdling shriek of agony. Then even more disgustingly, while her hand was still in his mouth, the thing's serpentine tongue lapped up the blood thirstily and closed his red eyes as he did so. This worked against him as it pushed her just enough to pick up her leg and kick as hard as she could into his abdomen where she could have sworn she heard a muted crack sound inside his chest.

He effectively released her hand to howl in pain, and as quick as she could, she flipped to her hands and knees to start crawling away already knowing it would do no good before she even felt his scaly hand on her ankle, then his teeth biting onto her right calf, and increasing the pressure until she heard a sickening _crunch_ , but only when she felt the pain a second later did she realize the sound came from her own body.

An an agonized scream of pain escaped her, and she felt like her entire leg was being sawed in half. It was over certainly. This was how she would die. She had thought this many times these past weeks, but now she was certain as she rested her cheek on the pavement, and closed her brown eyes.

They snapped open a second later when she heard a gun shot ring out along with insane, familiar laughter, then utter, complete silence. Wondering if her ears had stopped working because it was so quiet, she strained her hearing to find the sound of pattering raindrops by her head, and the strange feeling of lightheadedness with black on the edges of her vision.

Conciousness was fleeing her when her half open eyes had the odd sight of the earth falling away from her, and belatedly she realized she was being lifted into someone's warm arms, and she immediately curled into the person, and allowed sleep to take her

...

Waking was difficult to do when she kept getting pulled back under by whatever drugs had robe in her system, and the intense pain she somehow knew she would be waking up to.

Eventually, her bleary eyes opened to horrifyingly familiar green walls, a purple comforter, and a... _purple overcoat that lay over the desk chair._

She was back. He had gotten her back.

All the air in her lungs left her, and she tried unsuccessfully to get it back. The desire to get up, run, leave this place was so strong it practically choked her and she immediately sat up to do just that . As she did, and she jostled her leg, a burning, ripping sensation tore across nearly her whole body and she collapsed back down with a pained intake of breath.

She had promised herself to not cry again if she could help it, but there was no fear of that happening right now anyways- her eyes could not produce another tear if her life depended on it. Looking outside, you could tell it was daytime and that the clouds were so thick and pregnant with rain that it was very sunless and dark outside.

Aftet laying there for uncounted minutes, and hoping against hope that whatever horrors he had in mind would be over fast, that was when the object of her thoughts, source of all nightmares and her own living terror walked into the room with an unreadable expression on his face.

The Joker walked with his shoulders hunched over to her side of the bed, and watched as she squirmed and obviously wished she could disappear on the spot. Very slowly a triumphant grin broke across his now painted face as he stared at her.

Swallowing shakily, she was able to form a question, "H-how did you-"

"Find you?" With a raised black painted brow, he fished out the little black box with a screen on it from his pants pocket and showed her as he eyed the scar on her stomach. "It gave me some trouble for a while when you were sadly too far away for it to work, but when you know just the right people, things get done and this was _very_ handy indeed. You can imagine what would have happened if I didn't have this, and if I wasn't there to, uh, _save_ you". Licking his ruby red lips, and raising his eyebrows he acted so different from what she'd been expecting. Which was white-hot anger towards her.

At the same time, she didn't know how to process that he knew exactly where she was the whole time, it felt so violating, and so like him. She didn't know what to say about it, so she said to him instead, "But I didn't want you to save me.."

Widening his eyes comically, he asked with feigned shock, "Let me get this straight; you would rather have a long agonizing death than come home to me?"

"Yes", she said though the quaver in her voice gave away her fear of it, she wanted to stay true to her convictions.

"Now now, let's not get ahead of ourselves because I won't have you make that decision".

"So of course you chose it for me?", she tried asking harshly but her hoarse voice only made her sound more pathetic.

He smiled, but gave no response while they simply stared at each other with differing expressions. She took a deep breath before daring to ask, "What now, then?"

He looked up at the ceiling in thought, and pulled out a knife. Flicking it open, he stared at the glinting blade and noticed how she trembled at the sight of it. He wasn't sure if he still enjoyed her fear of him. When he finally responded it was with a curious amount of nonchalance, "Right now, you need to get better. Can't have people asking questions, can we?"

She blanched, and would have scrambled away if she was able to move at all but as it was, she was forced to sit just a few feet away as she asked him, "Then what? What after that? Why do I need to get better?" Does he want her all better so he can inflict his own injuries on her, ones he can take credit for? Oh no. Nononono!

Watching her prop herself up onto her elbows, and try to pull away, he tucked the knife back, and put gloved hands on her shoulders to push her back down onto the bed so she wouldn't rip out her stitches. Ho told himself he only cared because he didn't want her staining his sheets, and not because he cared wether or not she bled out.

"Please, no. Please please". She begged unable to help herself.

" _Caalm_ down, kid", he crooned nasally, keeping one hand on her shoulder and one on the side of head as he sat next to her.

"No. Why do I need to get better, what is the reason?" She kept repeating and it was starting to irritate him.

Finally, while she still struggled weakly to escape his hold, he ground out, "Don't you _want_ to go home?"

Her world and everything in it came to a crashing halt as she ceased struggling, and her breathing slowed as did her heart rate while she turned her head to stare into his dark, impassive eyes and finding neither warmth or answers in them.

"What?... You mean, I can-"

"Ah ah". He cut her off, poking her nose as he said, "It's not forever. Remember what I said about rewards? All you need to do is be good, and you can go for...a week sounds reasonable to me".

He can't mean this, her brain kept telling her even though she so badly wanted to believe it.

He smirked, and winked at her after pinching her cheek, then got up to leave suddenly, she sat up again, and called out, "Wait!" He paused, and looked over his shoulder out of the corner of his eye. She shivered under his gaze, but still asked, "Would I be able to go again?"

He clenched his fists, suddenly angry and growled out, "I give you one thing and you ask for another?"

"I-I meant no disrespect", she said placatingly as she acknowledged the idiocy of antagonizing him when she was at his mercy.

"You know, this is difficult enough to orchestrate without you being un- _grateful_ ". His black eyes narrowed.

"Then don't worry about doing that, just let me go. Just forget about me". She didn't care if it was pointless now, she couldn't help but plead with him.

His glare was gone, and he just continued to look at her strangely while he chewed the inside of his cheek. Then he said in a voice so rough and quiet, she could barely make it out, "I can't".

He didn't look like he would say anything more, so even though her hope dwindled, she quickly asked a different question, "Please, will you promise me I can go?" As if his words really mean anything, she hoped it would at least give her a fighting chance.

Now he turned around completely, and looked at her with a hint of annoyance. "You don't believe me? Ouch, that hurts". Her desperate expression didn't change, and he sighed dramatically in response, and placed a hand on his chest as he said, "You have my word, you'll get to go home for a bit".

Her breath was let out in a quiet sigh, and she finally lay back down, and watched as he left the room, slamming the door quieter than usual.

While he leaned against the door to their bedroom, he considered how he had had every intention of punishing her for running away, then finding her laying pale, and fragile on the road completely changed his mind. He was in the middle of, what's the point of hurting her when she's already so broken, and what would it change or teach her?

Growling at himself once, quietly. And he knew in that instant, the reason he had for letting her go back for a little while was because he cared. He cared just enough for her to stay the same old Emily that he was willing to let her out for a while only this time, her excursion would be under his rules, and it was his idea. Now all he needed to do was figure out exactly how to go about this...


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer: read chapter 2**

 **There was no shortage of ideas for what to do in this chapter, and I know exactly where this story is going.. But it's just been a little stressful lately, so much so that I was tempted to ask for your prayers for me, but I settled for prayers from family, and after going for a ride on my horse for the first time in weeks, I was able to... Oh, you guys probably don't care, so anyways, the gist of it is that I was finally able to convince myself that there ARE some of you who care if I finish this or not, so to my reviewers; THANK YOU. To my silent readers, THANK YOU! Anyone who finds enjoyment in this story; Thank you very much.**

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After finishing up with a particularly irksome job, The Joker paced his work room with his shoulders hunched, and hands clenched while he thought over the happenings of the past few days.

He really couldn't fathom exactly why she always felt the need to try so vainly to escape him. Hadn't he done for her what he had never done for anyone else? Had he not refrained from hurting her the sadistic ways he'd hurt hundreds of others? Admittedly, she has been hurt by him a _few_ times. But in his mind, they were rightfully deserved injuries she had sustained. And hopefully she has learned her lesson, his mind assured him, about what has happened as a result of her escape.

His thoughts took a different turn, back to when he found her laying under the lizard-man that was Killer Crocie.

The Joker snickered to himself when he remembered the surprised expression on the reptile's face..mug? muzzle? Anyway, it was quite a lot of fun to intervene on the creature's own game. The Joker considers himself a master of all games, of course. It was always fun to be one step ahead. Which brought him back to how surprised he was at finding that she left him at all to begin with. Emily's time away affected him differently than you might think; it forced him to become painfully aware of just how _distracting_ she was. It seemed that all he could think of at times was ways to show her the fun of his lifestyle, or even...how to kill her. Yes, it was something he had considered before, though now he felt a different sort of..perhaps _fondness_ towards her that was triggered whenever she would glare at him, say snippy things, or try to attack him. It lifted his excitement more so than doing the same thing he has been doing everyday. Without her, it could be more fun in Arkham Asylum than here in this bo-ring place.

Not to mention that he believed she would someday feel something for him. Remembering she had kept his ring on, brought a flicker of genuine pride into his being, and he knew there had to be a reason for her keeping it on. And the idea was very promising, and not to mention exciting as it had started with him trying to gain reliance first, then trust, and later would come devotion. Well, that had not worked, and he was still annoyed about that, but this brings up pre-cis-ely why he decided to allow her to leave for a little while; Because he needed time to think, and _she_ needed to see just how much better it was for her to be here, instead of with those irritating parents. And as he already knew- _this time,_ there would be no way she could pull anything, and therefore he had nothing to be concerned about. As for what she would tell her parents who have been beside themselves with worry, and calling the police multiple times...that was Emily's problem. So, as long as she was home when he picked her up, he didn't care what she did. Besides, he had a surprise for her that would be revealed while she was away. She was going to _love_ it.

Smiling evilly to himself, he straightened up to adjust his very classy purple coat, and deducted that he was feeling a very familiar urge, one that told him it was time for some serious _fun_. He only needed to find the right person.

Once he found them, ('them' being his newest recruited goons) The Joker watched for a minute as they milled about the large front room, talking amongst themselves, and doing very little of the job they were _told_ to do which was stack explosive-making materials inside boxes into a corner of this room. Well, they were about to get a healthy dose of work ethic, courtesy of the Clown Prince of Crime.

Eyeing a man of around thirty years old, who had a bit of a belly on him, with messy brown hair and cigarette in his mouth. He seemed to be doing the least work, thus The Joker smiled, and casually walked over to the man who had his back to him, and was currently lighting his smoke.

Smirking internally, he raised a purple gloved hand and shoved the other man roughly forward, which had the desired effect as the man dropped his lighter and cigarette, then cursed and whirled around angrily.

"Hey, what the hell, ma-"

Unsurprisingly, the words died on his tongue as he stared wide-eyed at the (for once) straight faced Joker who stared back with a mock angered look on his face.

Clasping his hands in front of him, The Joker raised a black painted brow, and asked in a near whisper, "Is there a, uh, _pro-blem... Tim,_ isn't it?" He could see how Tim quivered when his name was uttered, and The Joker's excitement increased as he continued in the same voice, "because for a second there, it looked like you were raising your voice at me..."

Tim hastily tried to cover himself, though he was doing a lousy job of it which was amusing to watch, "No no. I was just surprised is all, b-boss".

The Joker gave an unconvinced, "Hmm" in response, and looked away to stare into his switchblade's glinting surface.

"If that's the case, then can you tell me why you weren't doing your job just now, T _im,_ hm?"

Clearly afraid, Tim opened his mouth to speak but was silenced by the Joker grabbing the back of his head, and pressing the knife against his cheek as he swiftly cut him off, "Ah ta ta! No need for an explanation from you, _Tim_ , how about instead I give you a lit-tle backstory on... _How. I. Got. My. Scarss,_ and I can tell you a speech my _coach_ gave me on _work ethic,_ hm, how about it?"

Tim obviously thought this would be the lesser of the horrors that was likely in store, so he vigorously nodded his head as much as he could without getting cut. The other thugs in the room, however, the ones who had been here longer knew what was coming, and we're hoping to make a silent getaway.

The Joker grinned widely at Tim's response, and raised his black eyes to the ceiling momentarily as he thought over the _perfect_ way to get his point across. His eyes returned to the other man's and he feigned a serious tone as he began his tale, "It's junior year in high school, me and my buddies are sixteen, already driving, and making plans for the _future_ that our parents approve of. Overall, we were pretty ordinary, and boring, no attention was ever drawn to us, good or bad, but for _some_ reason, our parents found it necessary to send us to a football camp over the summer. Now, if you're like me, you can understand why I _hate_ sports; wrestling with other people, sweaty, and just a ridiculous waste of time- _uh_. But back to the camp: everything was as you'd expect with it having a football field, indoor gym, huge lunch room, everything was normal, ex-cept _for..._ The only coach there. He was the only person who we ever saw around the place, and he was in charge of _everything_. That's not that strange since there was only seven of us, so how many authority figures do you need, right? Well, if you're wondering where the strange part comes in, this is what happened; a friend of mine was summoned once to our coach's cabin, and I waited up for him of course, but I eventually got so tired, I fell asleep. The next day, my friend _still_ wasn't in our cabin, so a little later in the day I asked the coach where he was, and he told me 'George was sick, so he went home last night'. The exact same thing happened to another camper, then another, un-til it was _my turn_ ".

He paused for effect, noticing the sweat dripping down Timmy's face. "Like a _good little boy_ , I sat at the coach's couch while he fixed us drinks, and when he came back to set it on the coffe table in front of me, he started talking about the importance of _applying_ yourself, and _never giving up_ , and blah blah blah, it was just a way to act the part of a good coach. But after the first sip, I knew _some-thing_ was u _p_ because it tasted funny, and after I set it down again, he reached for my head, like his", giving Tim's hair a painful tug, he continued dangerously slow, "and _then,_ he made a move on me, and I, being into girls, told him I don't want to do that, and he told me all the guys did it, so I should too. But I wasn't gonna take that, so I bashed him over the head with a lamp, and tried to get away as fast as my feet could carry me, but it didn't exactly work out 'cause he tripped me and _pinned_ me on the floor while he looked down at me with blood all over the side of his head. Do you know what he said next? He said, 'You know the most important thing in sports, or life, even?'" The Joker leaned his face closer, and dropped his voice even lower, "It's to _always_ remember to _smile'_ , and he proceeded to grab a _kitchen knife_ , and do this".

Without further words, he slid the knife in the man's mouth, and effortlessly tore the skin up to his temples then released him momentarily as he fell to the ground grasping his cheek, and crying out like a sheep at slaughter.

Giggling uncontrollably, The Joker stepped on an arm, and crouched over him to grasp his hands, and begin on the other cheek. Annoyingly, this guy had a lot of energy as he twisted and pulled away, making the job more difficult. Growling lightly, The Joker paused a minute to say in exasperation, "You mind holding _still_ a minute? We want it to look good, don't we?"

Obviously there was no response, only more thrashing, and grating noises, until finally The Joker was able to finish, then deciding on something, he still held him down, and plugged his nose to watch as he drowned in his own blood.

After some minutes, there was dead silence in the entire room. Ha, 'dead' silence. Now _that_ was funny. With a pleased smile, The Joker stood up to assess the blood on his purple coat, though that was the only noticeable place it was. He was just about to leave, when the varying degrees of fear he saw in the looks of his thugs gave him pause, and he looked at them with his arms crossed as they just stood there.

"Well?" The Joker asked, his nasally voice echoing creepily in the vast room. "Anyone else want the same treatment, or would you like to get back to work?"

The response was instantaneous, and funny to watch as they continued in a frenzy without their dead friend, while they hoped to not receive the same punishment.

The sight of it was enough to bring a joke only he could understand to the forefront of his mind, and The Joker began to giggle, then chuckle until he was laughing hysterically while he walked out of the room to leave terrified goons in his wake.

When the laughter subsided a bit, he was more aware of the strange sensation that told him he needed sleep. It was weird to feel it since he hadn't had sleep in days, but he didn't question it, as he headed to the bedroom. Once there, he unceremoniously flung the door open, and stepped inside to note that Emily was still laying in bed because she couldn't get up on her own. It was _almost_ endearing the way she curled up as tightly as she could without straining her injuries.

If she had been awake, he was certain she would have found his stare that was currently directed at her to be unnerving. Even after weeks with her, he was still struck by the surprising sight of a woman in his bed. Granted, he'd be lying if he said he didn't enjoy it. Not to mention, the fantasies he could think of them doing together in bed were quite enjoyable as well. She would also eventually find his fantasies enjoyable, it was only a matter of time.

Shrugging out of his bloodied coat, and tossing his gloves on the desk, The Joker considered the fact that his fantasies would be a reality when she came back from visiting her old home. He was very much looking forward to it. Did she think he would wait forever? He was _The Joker_ , not a doormat. Besides, he would be gentle during her first time, there was no need to be unnecessarily cruel. If he was ever accused of committing cruel acts, he would say that every one of them had a purpose, and a reason for being cruel. Therefore, what would it accomplish to make her first experience terrible? Nothing he could benefit from that.

Running his paint-stained fingers under the water, he washed the face paint off entirely since it was rubbing off already anyways. Shaking his wet hair, he then walked back into the room to sit on the bed, and take off the suspenders, vest, and kicking off his shoes he slid under the covers as he was too tired to undress completely and from there he resumed staring at Emily.

Propping himself up on one elbow, he reached his right hand over to push the hair away from her face, and turn her head more his direction to get a better look, then he put his hand back into her hair. This was contact she would have fought if she were awake, but her hair was so very soft, and pleasant to touch. He began wondering what it would be like if she were doing the same to him right now. Oh, the possibilities. It was much more pleasant to come home to her than coming home to a pet cat, but he wasn't exactly sure what she was to him... Acquaintance seemed like the right word to him. Not so low as to be a pet, and not so high as to be an old friend. He doubted she felt the same way, but to him she was like an old memory of his that he couldn't let go.

Thinking it over for a minute, before deciding to screw it, he brought his hand from over her hair, to her stomach where he wrapped around it to pull her closer and watching her grimace in her sleep probably because it aggravated her wound. But he couldn't be made to care as he held her almost underneath him, and fell asleep to her soft breaths, and the whimpers she let out in her sleep...

...

Dreaming of dark shadows, painted clowns, question marks, and hulking reptilian beasts, Emily had another unpleasant thing to deal with; a rancid smell that lilted its way into her nostrils. She must look and smell terrible, she concluded.

There was something else, though; a more masculine scent that was slowly invading her senses and making it difficult to breath. Wait, it wasn't the smell that made it difficult, it was a weight over her stomach that seemed to give off heat like a furnace, and encompass her entire body.

Hesitantly, she opened her eyes, and had to stop herself from immediately scooting away from the handsome, scarred face that was mere inches away. Slowly coming back to where she was, and who she was with, she studied his face as she tried squirming out from under the warm arm that lay over her stomach, she noticed the dark circles under his eyes that did not come from the paint, and the way that sleep took away the evilness of his features. Instead of sadistic, and cruel, she saw the boyish child behind the vicious clown. The boy he was before becoming this. Shaking her head because her thoughts still felt a little fuzzy, she realized part of the reason for her having these thoughts about him, and it was something she couldn't forget no matter how hard she tried;

He saved her life.

This instance had more of an impact on her because he hadn't been the one to put her in that particular situation. It was her own fault, and though she had said once that she preferred that over living with him, she still remembered her terror from that night, and how horrible it was for her. Although acknowledging this did not mean she really liked him, she could admit when a debt was owed, and frustratingly she now owed him. She couldn't explain why she felt like that, only that she just did, and even though she may not say it to his face- she was very grateful for his intervening when he did.

So engrossed in her confusing thoughts was she, that when he let out a loud exhale and opened his eyes, she nearly jumped out of her skin as she stared into the black eyes that opened, and were staring intently into her's.

He finally spoke, and it was with a very amused tone as he trailed a finger down her face, "Is Sleeping Beauty actually awake?"

For some reason, the quick response rolled easily off her tongue, "I could say the same thing to you".

His eyes flashed with something akin to mischief, and he chuckled an actual genuine sounding laugh. Which led her to wonder if any of his infamous laughs were real, or if it was simply dragged from the pits of his insanity.

"Are you saying you think I'm beautiful? How sweet".

Her face heated, and she unthinkingly scooted away, only to almost immediately stop the action as her leg protested painfully. She didn't allow the pain to show on her face, so she just sat and stared at him the way he was at her.

There was just one question she had to ask. Summoning some courage, she asked tentatively, "Why are you really letting me go home?"

A flash of annoyance crossed his face, but just as quickly as it was there, it was gone, making her wonder if she'd imagined it.

"What does it matter, huh? You get to, and am I wrong in thinking a _re-la-tion-ship_ should be based on trust? What's wrong with putting a little trust in me, Em?"

Her face said it all; she didn't trust him, she was still wary of him. An idea formed in her head, and it was a very good one in her mind, but she knew she needed to put it to him in the most diplomatic way possible.

Swallowing, she looked down at her hands. "Trust? Do you think you can trust me while I'm away?"

She looked back up then quickly away when she found him to be staring at her again.

"Sure, I trust you. Until you give me reason _not_ to". The hidden danger in his tone was hard to ignore, and she shivered at the implications, but it strengthened her resolve.

"I wasn't going to try to leave again, I just figured since you said something about trust, maybe you could.." Looking into his eyes, she tried pleading with hers as she finished her proposition, "Please take out the tracker".

He looked like he was trying to tell if she was serious or not, and a smile formed on his face. "And if I did? What is the reason that you want it out, hm?"

"I want you to know you can trust me".

He gave her a look that said he wasn't buying it, and she broke down. "Really; if this is ever going to work, we need to trust each other, don't we? I swear, I am only going home to see my parents. I'm not trying to leave again; I know how well that turned out..."

Hoping that his urge to draw blood, and poke around inside someone would be enough to convince him. She truly didn't want to try escaping again, she just didn't like that this foreign object was _inside_ her. She wanted it out.

"I am _shocked_ that you want me messing around inside you again. What a twist". His voice was thick with amusement.

"So you'll do it?"

He smiled, and said huskily, "For a price".

Thinking she knew what he meant, and since he was close enough that she didn't need to stretch far to accomplish this, she leaned forward, and laid a hand on his arm as she kissed him and threw herself into it as much as she could without hurting herself more. This seemed to surprise him, which was confusing to her as she moved her lips against his and hoped he wouldn't ask more from her. One thing was painfully obvious as she did this; for the first time, she noticed what a good kisser he was.

Shockingly, after only a minute, he pulled back and held her face in his hand as he stared down at her with an entirely unreadable expression.

At length, he said, "That wasn't actually what I had in mind, but it works I suppose.. Fine, I'll take it out soon".

Hardly able to believe it, she watched him rise, and put his clothes back on. When it came to the shoes, she blurted out, "What's with the socks?"

He froze, and inwardly she cursed herself as he turned his head to look over his shoulder at her. She expected a violent outburst, but instead he responded with, "They're fun. Like. Me. Why do you ask?"

"I like them.." She said quietly.

He gave her a quizzical look, but said nothing more as he finished, and went to leave without re-applying his makeup.

Unable to stop herself, she called out to him, "Wait!"

He stopped, and looked back with an almost annoyed look on his face.

Keeping her eyes on his, she said shakily, "Thank you... For saving my life".

His face looked completely blank, as if he had no idea why she would say this, but he didn't respond, only smirked, and winked before leaving her to wonder why she didn't hate him anymore.

When Kate came in some time later, right when Emily was being reminded of her hunger, she couldn't suppress her joy at seeing her again. It felt like it had been weeks. They hugged, talked about unimportant things, then Kate gave her the food she had brought with her.

Once finished, Emily sipped ice water, and asked Kate suddenly, "Why doesn't he hate me? He should, I tried to leave".

Kate pursed her lips before responding, "He _was_ very angry after you left... Tore this whole room apart more than once, but I fixed it while he was gone looking for you".

Emily could only say, "Oh". She didn't want to dwell on thoughts of his fury when she first left.

After that, Kate helped her shower, then get into some fresh clothes, and put her back in bed as if she were a small child.

As she was laying down, Emily said quietly, "Kate".

She stopped propping the pillows behind her, and looked down in confusion at the younger girl.

Emily whispered three words, "I love you".

Kate didn't know what to do; she hadn't been told that for such a long time, and it was strange hearing it once again, so she simply smiled kindly, and patted her shoulder as she said, "Good night, Emily".

Leaving the room, Kate touched the cut on her neck that had been inflicted as punishment for being mouthy to her boss. She wasn't sure herself why she stood up on Emily's behalf, she had never talked back to her boss before, but something about Emily brought it out of her. She did love her back, she just didn't know how to say it...

...

Alfred stood behind Bruce as they both looked over Gotham City through the tall glass walls of the penthouse.

"I don't see what the issue is, Alfred". Bruce said with annoyance, and turning on his old friend. "She wanted to leave, how could I keep her here against her will, and why would I do that?"

His own annoyance showed through his kind demeanor, "You don't understand, sir. Could you not have at least told me she was leaving before you let her?"

"Why does that matter? Why couldn't she leave?" Bruce demanded impatiently.

Alfred finally let it out, "Because The Joker is hunting her".

Bruce's face lost all traces of anger, and he seemed to crumble in on himself as he fell into a nearby chair, and looked on seeing nothing, only things that were in his mind.

"You mean.. She knew where that psychopath _lives_?", he asked viciously.

"That is not the point, sir. She was not a part of his game, unless it was unwillingly, and she needs help so I suggest you stop acting like this is about you and you alone, because it is not".

Bruce looked even more defeated by the end of his butler's reprimanding, and he put his head in his hands as he asked with clear exhaustion, "What would you have me do then, Alfred?"

Placing a fatherly hand on Bruce's shoulder, Alfred said softly, "I can't tell you what to do this time, Master Wayne. Only you can decide what is best for Gotham... And for yourself".

Silence, then the faint sound of a closing door and Bruce looked up to find himself alone in the huge room.

Sighing, he stood once again, and favoring his aching leg, he stared into his older, more weary reflection in the glass while he considered the options.

Did he care enough about the city he had already sacrificed so much for, to go out into the night once again to save all the innocent citizens from these villains' clutches? Was he willing to help a city in need, even though the last time he did, he lost the most precious thing to him?

He thought about the people Emily had said needed him; the children, the defenseless, the dying... They needed him, _really_ needed him. And in that moment, he knew what he needed to do...

... For Emily, recuperating was not as hard as she thought it would be as she was able to walk almost completely on her own within a few weeks. She was also surprised at how little she saw of The Joker. He would occasionally come in to sleep or something like that, but she had thought he would be around a bit more.

Though, she couldn't really complain, could she, because she had wanted to originally try staying away from him... So why was she starting to crave his company more and more? It was a baffling thought, and she didn't have an answer, so she just looked forward to seeing her parents again. This had been what she wanted, and she did absolutely want to see her mom's face again, she was just...concerned that it was a lie that was intended as a sick joke. Surprisingly, she didn't let this bother her, and she was becoming more and more aware of how complacent she was now. It wasn't actually a bad thing, either. She found she has grown somewhat these past weeks, and changed into someone stronger, and more...durable. There was one person to thank for that, but there was no way she would say it directly to him- only acknowledge it in her thoughts. There was one thing in particular he had done about a week ago that surprised her;

 _She had been sitting on the bed, and holding her pained leg while she watched The Joker clean the blade of his knife, then he paused to inspect it as it glinted back sinisterly._

 _He turned to her, and smiled a sly grin as he walked towards her, holding the knife in a threatening manner out of habit, he then slid onto his knees on the bed, and patted the spot in front of him._

 _She had slowly made her way over, and laid in front of him while she tried to not remember the last memories she had of laying under him while he held a knife over her_.

 _Pulling up her shirt over her stomach, she tried to not flinch as he stroked the scar on it._

 _Once the knife was in position, he glanced briefly at her face, and said in his nasal tone, "I probably should have mentioned this earlier, buuut unfortunately we don't have anything to numb the pain"._

 _That having been said, he plunged it in once again, ignoring her protests all the while and seeming to take a sick pleasure at the sight of blood._

 _Though, surprising her muddled thoughts, he didn't prolong it, or do anything extra. But to her, he took way too long with his stitching job._

 _When finished, he hopped off with a pleased 'Ah', and surveyed her slipping in and out of consciousness. Though it was painful, she couldn't believe he had actually taken it out..._

Her head snapped up, and she was pulled out of the memory when the door opened, and she stared in confusion as The Joker stepped in, and grinned widely at her. He seemed to be in a good mood at the moment, she observed.

"What do you say we get out of here, hm?"

Hesitating only a moment, internally at war with herself as she debated if it was worth it to leave with this killer clown whom still inspired a healthy dose of fear in her, to be able to go outside for the first time in a long while? She decided it was totally worth it as she nodded her assent, and as quickly as she could, got off the bed to walk over to him.

When she was close enough, he reached and grabbed her wrist to practically drag her behind him down the hall to the left, through a few doors, then up many flights of stairs. Then she had a pretty good idea where they were going as she struggled to keep up with his long strides.

Once at the door leading to the roof, he opened it and they stepped out together to survey the setting sun. This setting rang with familiarity, though this time it was different; she wasn't fighting to escape anymore, or wishing someone would shoot this clown for her, now she found joy from being around him, and now, unlike before, she owed him her life wether he knew it or not, and she wasn't one to let something like that go.

Standing next to him, and glancing at him as he appeared to be in deep thought, she asked, "What's the occasion for this, may I ask?"

He looked at her from out of the corner of his eye. "I think you need something to remember this place before you leave tomorrow".

It hit her with a near physical force; that going home was an actual, tangible reality. She could hardly believe it.

"Tomorrow?" She exclaimed excitedly. "I get to go tomorrow?"

There was just a hint of anger in his eyes when he turned his head fully to stare at her. "What's with the excitement? Do you _want_ to _stay gone_?" He quite literally growled.

About to take a step back from him, she immediately stamped the offending foot back in place, and quickly thinking of something to say, she blurted out, "No I...was just wondering if you would...visit while I'm gone..?"

This surprised him, as was evidence by his eyes widening slightly, and him tilting his head. "Really? And what makes you think I'd, uh, have time to vi-sit?" He raised his eyebrows challengingly.

Stepping even closer, she touched his arm, and said quietly, "If you do have time..I'd like if you did".

Raising her eyes to his, she noticed he seemed to be studying her for deceit, but there wouldn't be any to be found; she did actually think she might miss things about him while away.

Seemingly satisfied with her response, he pulled her close, and wrapped his arms around her which still made her just a little uncomfortable, but that couldn't be helped. Hearing his contented sigh, she hesitantly laid her head against his chest, and heard a heartbeat. It was strange; she had never thought of The Joker ever having a heart...

...

Meanwhile, another criminal mastermind that was lesser known than the infamous Joker, though equally talented in his own right, was sitting in front of computer monitors when a lackey of his rushed into the room to whisper something in his ear.

"Hm", the villain said in a lightly accented, deep voice. "Interesting".

Pulling up a particular screen shot, he leaned back, and dismissed the goon as he smiled to himself. "Don't get too comfortable at the top, _clown_. Your time, and your girl's will come..sooner than you think"...


	25. Chapter 25

So many emotions were running through Emily at this moment. They ranged from nervousness (would she even know how to act around her parents after all she'd been through?), anxiety, disbelief and excitement all at the same time.

She and The Joker- because he insisted that he be the one to take her- had driven in the afternoon through a constant drizzle that seemed to follow them all the way here, and made it seem like it was early morning as the heavy gray clouds blocked the sunlight. It had been a rather uneventful car ride with her so wound up and wrapped up in her thoughts she was too distracted to try striking up a conversation. While he, on the other hand, seemed to take great pleasure out of letting out little barbed digs at her parents here and there. But she didn't care, she was just surprised she had been allowed to go, and he had also let her bring her cat who was currently asleep in her lap. That was especially surprising to her.

Turning onto her neighborhood road, she looked out her window and watched the sidewalk whiz by, with the occasional fenced tree lining the road, all her neighbors whose yards were immaculate apart from the browning that occurred on account of the season. Looking at all this through a misty rain was like going down all her childhood memories; it felt like a lifetime ago since she was last here, and now that she was, it was like every memory had some sort of fog over it. Unclear, and disorienting, while she struggled to see the details clearly. Especially the faces of her mom and dad- for the life of her, she could not recall the precise color of her dad's eyes, nor her mother's perfect smile.

So consumed with these thoughts, she never once stopped to consider his motive for letting her come back. Why _should_ he let her back here? He had her for as long as he wanted. He could have very easily made it impossible for her to escape again. Not that she was going to do so now. There was no way to escape him forever. Besides, she just couldn't find the will to do it anymore. Back to why he is being so suspiciously all right with her leaving. He claims it's because they need to trust one another. Her hand came up to her still inflamed stitches on her recently re-opened incision. That was one of the worst experiences she was sure she could ever face. Not to mention, there was also nothing on the planet was was scarier than a gruesome clown, wielding a switchblade, and cutting you open. She shuddered at the memories, turning her attention instead to her home that was getting closer by the second, and trying to ignore her company that was muttering to himself something about 'being late', 'need to be back in time'. She had no idea what he was talking about, and she didn't care; not while home was _so close_.

She heard his muttering halt, and felt his eyes on her right before he reached over the short space to run gloved fingers up her arm.

"You really do look very cu _t_ e in that shirt", he said teasingly. A quick lick of ruby lips. "I think I approve", he finished in a low tone.

Fidgeting because she still wasn't used to such contact, she shifted in her seat, and looked at him out of the corner of her eye, a habit she had picked up from him to see his eyes boring into hers.

"It isn't really for you to approve of", she stated quietly in a halfhearted attempt at an irritated tone. "I liked it, so I put it on". Looking down at the dark purple, low hanging sweater, she did actually like it. It was comfy, and it did look nice on her.

"I'm thrilled you and I have the same tastes, and that you like the things I picked ou _t_ ". His voice rang with sarcasm as he over-enunciated the t's as he often does in his own strange way of speaking.

She sighed, there was really no way to have a normal talk with him. Thankfully, though, she would get this break she so desperately wanted.

Her fingers clenched into the seat she sat on, and her breath hitched when she caught sight of her house. It was on the left, and the just before the last house on the block. It was a little difficult to see on account of the rain that kept steadily drizzling, and her own anxiousness to be in the familiar comfort of home.

They pulled up alongside the house with the car facing the wrong side of the road, and it was all she could do not to sprint the whole way up to the wooden steps of the front porch.

Instead, she almost hesitatingly opened the door, and slid out into the rain while it immediately started soaking her scalp with its water. She paid no mind to Tuck as he was awoken from his nap on her lap, and had leapt onto the street to go explore the dying tulips near the mailbox.

She wasn't even aware that she had started to walk up her driveway, when he stopped her with his hand around her bicep and fingers digging unnecessarily hard into her flesh, forcing her to stop, and look back at him as she wondered how he got out without her noticing.

He grinned in response to her confused look, and pulled her closer with his hold on her arm. While he stared at her, he reached a hand to grasp the side of her face, and stroke her hair with his thumb.

Unexpectedly, he all of a sudden tugged her into his chest while the hand still in her hair, began tangling in her locks as he always did. She tensed at this, and tried not to squirm when his breath wafted down her neck as he nuzzled her head.

"I'll be back soon. This is a big step for us, ya know", his nasally, sing song voice said to her. "So... _don't disappoint me"._ His last sentence vibrated her scalp with its low, demonic tones.

Her heart sped at the clear warning. It stated not to do anything stupid, not to run, or try anything _or else..._ She did not want to imagine what he would do if she did this, but she wasn't planning on that anyways.

He pulled back to look in her eyes. She repressed the shiver she felt coming that was less from the cold, and more from the look he was giving her.

Quickly, she shook her head, and responded in a voice barely above a whisper, "I-I won't".

"Good", he said in an overly happy voice, and with one last rub on her head, he turned her around and shoved her forward towards the front door.

When she righted herself, she could barely hear anything over the excited pounding of her heart pounding in her ears. Not the rain on the sidewalk, the occasional thunder overhead, or her kitten's nearby meowing. Everything seemed to stop for just a moment while she stared at the porch light that was now automatically turned on because it was getting darker and darker.

Her head cleared just in time for her to hear the screech of tires on he road, and she looked to the left just in time to see the red taillights disappear around the corner. For one minute, she felt an odd flicker of loneliness now that the main person she had been around for the last few weeks had just left her. But that sensation disappeared in the next second as she looked forward, and took the first step onto her driveway that she had since the day she left for Gotham. Her eyes looked once again to the light on the porch as it reminded her of times in her younger years when she would get dropped off by a friend's parent after a sleepover, and be so excited to be home and see her mom again. She had always had a close relationship with her mother, and she had had a childhood dream of one day becoming as good a mother to her own kids as her mom was for her.

These thoughts of her mom were running rampant through her head as she reached for the handle, and turned it... Only to find it locked. The lights were off inside, but the cars were in the driveway, and when she looked around, she could see the overstuffed mailbox, overgrown lawn, unlike the neighbors' clean cut grass. It almost looked like they were dead.

She nearly gasped aloud as she racked her brain to try remembering where the house key was hidden. Then it hit her; the flower pot on the porch. Turning to where it used to sit when she left, she noticed the pot was gone. Now she was frantic as she looked all over the porch that spanned the whole front of the house, searching under it, on the door, on the bench, until finally... It had been under the welcome mat.

Quickly fumbling with jamming the key inside its lock, it took five tries before she was able to unlock it.

She held her breath as the door swung inward to display the dim hallway. Even though she had been waiting for this opportunity for so long, and even though she knew she only had so many days with them, and she should treasure each one, it was almost impossible for her to move her feet any faster as she walked with halting steps towards to end of the hall. But as she got further down it, and was taking in the familiar homey smells of vanilla, and passion fruit, she suddenly got an uncomfortable feeling in her gut, as if she was walking towards something she didn't want to see.

All of a sudden, a figure appeared at the opening in front of her, and with the large windows behind the person casting them in shadows, she couldn't make out the face and she halted in her tracks.

Then a voice sounded. A voice that was altogether familiar, and unfamiliar all at the same time; "Who are you? What are you doing in my house?"

It hit her like a slap to the face; the voice that sounded so garbled, raspy, and upset was a voice she knew instantly despite the ranging emotions within it.

"Dad?", she whispered.

Richard Allen stood there dumbfounded as he searched for words, and he gasped in shock, and fumbled for the light switch while he stared at the tiny figure standing in the hall with him.

When the light came on, and she saw him for the first time in so very long, and saw the bags under his blue eyes, she instantly collided into him and clutched on tightly to him as he took a moment before he too embraced. She didn't cry-because she had shed far too many tears to count already- nor did she repeat loving phrases as he was doing to her. Instead, she chose to savor the warm contact from someone who loved her.

When the other person's face she longed to see passed through her mind, she slowly and reluctantly pulled away to look calmly at her dad's tear stained face.

"Where's mom? I need to see her".

Comprehension dawned on his face, and his at first joy-filled eyes, turned somewhat sad at the mention of Jeanine. But nevertheless, he nodded and with an arm still around her shoulders, he guided her down the hall to the carpeted living room on the left with only a single lamp on in the entire spacious room.

She and her dad walked towards the blonde woman who was sitting alone on the love seat with her back to them, was staring at the blank tv without moving a single muscle. Emily's heart spasmed in anticipation.

Without looking at him, she pulled his hand off, and stepped forward on her own. When she rounded the couch, she felt the tears that had not been a problem before were now spilling out and down her cheeks as she gazed at the woman who seemed almost un-recognizable to her now. The greasy, limp hair, dull, unseeing eyes, and the slumped shoulders all spoke of someone who had given up on hope a long time ago.

Emily kneeled before her, and gently touched her mom's knee while she whispered so not to startle her- this woman seemed so fragile, "Mom? It's me. It's Emily, I'm back".

Something soft and fleeting stirred in her eyes, and it made Emily's tone more forceful and urgent as she tried to evoke a response, "Hey, it's going to be okay now, I'm here. I'm here, and I love you... I love you, mom... _Please_ come back to me".

Waiting was torture, but she would sit here until she withered and died if it helped her mom. It was not until some minutes later when the distant eyes twitched to glance around the room before finally landing on Emily.

Her mom's hand came up to slowly cup her daughter's cheek, and Emily leaned into the contact as all the bad memories from times when she had felt so resentful and angry at her parents all seemed so petty now. It was true what they say; you never know how good something is, until it's gone.

"Emily". It was no question, nor was it a shocked sounding statement. She simply sounded...content. As if she could not breathe all this time until she saw Emily's, her _daughter's,_ face again.

Emily looked in her mom's eyes with her own tear filled ones. "Hi, mom".

"Oh, Emily". Her mom's visage turned from relieved to worried in an instant and she asked in a grief stricken voice, "Where have you _been?_ We were looking for you. The police called off the search just recently, they said it was likely you had been..." It was obvious she couldn't finish, she covered her mouth with her hand as she struggled to contain herself.

Emily cast her eyes downward as she concocted a lie on the spot, and told it smoothly, "Me and Sam, we...got in a fight". She swallowed quickly. "A really bad one. And I, well, I ran away with...a guy friend of..Sam's".

"Did you..." Her mom searched for words, and she looked so sad and... _disappointed_ , it nearly broke Emily's heart. But she couldn't tell them the truth. Not yet, anyway. Her mom stared sadly into her daughter's eyes as she asked her question, "Did you leave with this _friend_ because he was a cute guy, and you thought you were in love with him?"

It was the perfect lie, and she latched onto it gratefully. "Yes, I did love him...but don't worry; he doesn't love me, and I'm here to stay now". That last part may be another lie, but she would cross that bridge when the time came.

Her mom still looked unconvinced, but it seemed her joy that Emily was back, over road her suspicion.

Jeanine embraced Emily in a tight hug, and they each clung to the other as her mom whispered, "I missed you so much, honey".

Swallowing her tears, Emily responded just as quietly, "I missed you too, mom".

Her mom gently smoothed Emily's curls as she repeated over and over to her daughter she had thought dead, "But you're home now. You're safe. You're home, you're home, you're home".

And as the small family held tightly onto each other in the darkness, Emily couldn't help the doubts that came from no where in her head as her mom's repeated words gave her pause. _What does home mean? Where was home? Was this really home? Was this home was this home?_

 _Where was her home really?.._

 _..._

The Joker skipped merrily with not a care in the world as he simply reveled in the chaotic atmosphere around him that was Gotham City. Most houses, and business places were deserted, many homeless people milling about, and above all; the tension and fear in the air was so real, you could practically _taste_ it.

He hadn't made himself known very much over the course of the past weeks as he had simply given his fellow criminals a nudge here and there, then sitting back and enjoying in the proceedings. Maybe he has been too dormant... Ah well, he could worry about that later. There were _lots_ of ideas he had that he could do later. He only wished Emily was here to see it- No, he had already told his raving mind that he would not think of her for the entire time she was gone. But it was _so_ hard as she had, after all, been a pretty welcome and important distraction from _Batman's_ absence. And that's all she was; a distraction. Because what else could she be for the great Joker? An accomplice? Probably not- she just didn't have that in her. A lover? No way- that had not been their relationship thus far. There was also the possibility of her becoming the mother of his children. Ugh, now _that_ was truly ridiculous.

These thoughts were easily pushed aside by his one track mind that was suddenly very focused on the fact that he hadn't seen any of his fellow evil doers out and about. A few in particular were always absent from the news lately. Well, maybe he should pay them a friendly visit.

He enjoyed a private smile, and fiddled with his knife in his pocket at the direction his thoughts were taking. It was so thoroughly pleasing to think up new, exciting ways to kill off all these _expendable_ dregs who call themselves human beings. What fun it is. Fun that only _he_ seemed to fully understand. He planned to get lots done while his Em was away and he didn't have to concern himself with thinking his thugs were going to try taking advantage of her, or that she might try running away in his absence.

Speaking of her, he was reaching the warehouse now, and after a car collided with him in town, (killing the other driver, sadly; he didn't get to have any _fun_ with him) he had to walk the few miles back home with a slight limp and a bloodied head. Not a problem, it was actually nice to see first hand, up close just how different this city has become in a few short months. It was very nearly disappointing how quickly this place lost any redeeming qualities it may have originally possessed. True, he knew how Gotham citizens were to begin with, but did they have to turn out so boring? Maybe he should relocate.. Hm, what an idea that was.

By now he was walking into home sweet home, and passing some goons on the way. When they saw his state, they froze fearfully, and watched him in a terrified state.

The Joker lazily licked his lips, and flicked his eyes to lock on them as he passed.

"Evening, _boyss"_ , he drawled.

They were practically quivering in their boots as he walked by, and he loved every minute of it as he giggled the whole way to his 'work' room. Once there, he shrugged out of blood-stained coat, and vest so that he could more easily think without the stuffy clothes on in the already hot area.

Pacing the room, he considered what was so different about Gotham now that there seemed to be no fun to be had anymore. Some of it was the absence of dear Batsy, but even before him this city had some element of fun to it. No, it seemed to him that this place needed _something_ to push it back into the way things were. Back when Bats was prowling the streets at night in his dorky tights and armor, and back when these people had at least a little... _character_ to them, back when- wait a minute.

His eye caught something out of place on his desk, and his head snapped to stare with narrowed eyes at his workspace because something wasn't how he had it when he left that day. Slowly he walked over to the table to analyze and recall exactly how it was supposed to look in a way only his mind could remember. Then it hit him.

His notebook containing scribblings, half thought out plans and ideas...and his one picture of Emily was moved.

Snatching up the book, he angrily flipped through it until he reached the last page and he _knew; someone had taken something of his._ Beyond angry though he was, a forced laugh still escaped his lips as he slammed the book back down, and realized in an instant what might take others days to figure out;

 _Someone was_ in here _, and they had_ stolen _something_.

Who would dare cross The Joker, and risk their lives to do so? They must be very confident in their employer, or the pay was very good... Or... And this brought him up short; the employer may be someone considered by others to be on _his_ _level_. Well, he would just have to change that.

With this new information in mind, he casually pulled out a switchblade, and stared at it as he ran his gloved thumb over the blade.

He had some interrogating to do.

Even though he was incredibly angry about being double-crossed by someone, that didn't dampen the growing excitement in him about going and doing a little... _thinning_ of his lackeys. Oh yes. So. Much. _Fun._ Ye **t**. To. Come...

...

"What?!", the villain covered in black, angry darkness hissed at his two employees whom he trusted most. And they had just given him news that would certainly setback his plans more than he would like. Hence, the anger he felt would explode through him exponentially at any moment.

"It's really not that bad a thing, boss", one of the persons responded eagerly.

The seething figure stepped forward, growling in an accented, refined voice, "Not that bad'?" Barely waiting for a response, he instantly thundered, "Not a bad thing to happen? This is a horrible oversight, and one I admittedly did not foresee, but that does _not_ excuse lazy behavior from you two, as _she_ is miles away, and if _he_ let her go there, he certainly could not care what happens to her now".

"But, sir.. May I say something?" The other said.

"Be brief", he ground out.

"Well, we found this". Thus, they produced the picture of a sleeping girl, and told their boss where they found it as he listened quiet, and intently.

"...Hmm", he finally hummed thoughtfully.

Turning around with hands clasped behind his back, he stood as if in deep thought for some time before his demeanor slowly shifted and he sighed contentedly.

"Interesting indeed", he whispered. He spun back around, and stated with vicious glee in his eyes, "I think this might actually work better than my original plan... Alert the others. We are going to take a little trip very soon"...

... After getting done with hours filled with feelings of shock, joy, and hugs Emily was casting a last lingering glance at her sleeping parents as she closed their door.

It was strange for the roles to be reversed after all this time apart, but even after what she has gone through and what she has seen, she was _still_ the one to take charge after returning home and having to force her parents into bed after a drink of some tea, and then laying beside them until they fell asleep. Just as they had each done for her as a little kid. It was hard to imagine leaving them again soon, and forcing them to go through the pain and loss all over again... Especially her mom who was always so much more fragile seeming. But Emily tried hard not to think of that for now.

No more tears wet her eyes as she closed her old bedroom door and looked sadly upon the dark, tasteful pink walls, old dresser and nightstand, bookshelves, fluffy comforter, and her nightlight beside the door... Everything was how she left it, but she quickly shook this from her head, and began undressing and changing into some old pajamas.

As the fabric of her shirt was being pulled down her stomach, her hand brushed her once again stitched stomach, and for a moment, she turned to look in the mirror and gaze at the ugly scar. She was changed, no denying that. There was no way she was the same girl from a few months ago, and she couldn't say she hated that fact. She didn't necessarily need to even worry about people seeing this scar; she never cared much for bikinis, or things showing the naval off, anyways... The scars all over her leg, however, could be considered very gruesome. They tore some muscle as well, and now she walked with a barely noticeable limp. But she didn't let it affect her; she would pull through all this, and come out stronger in the end. Both physically and mentally.

That in mind, she turned the room light off, and about to climb into bed, she stopped a minute to look over her shoulder. The nightlight. It seemed so petty and childish to still be afraid of the dark after all these events. And so before going to bed... She turned out the light to instead welcome the overwhelming darkness...

 **A/N**

 **Ooh.. Major foreshadowing here, some subtle and some not so much. Thank you guys for every. Single. Thing. You. Have. Done. It means SO MUCH! It is literally 1:30am at the moment, so depending on the time zone; Happy Halloween, everyone! Keep the reviews coming, and I hope you guys have great holidays this year:)**


	26. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer: read chapter 2**

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It was dark in this unfamiliar bedroom when Emily opened her eyes the next morning. Staring at the strange ceiling, she felt a growing panic and quickly rolled over to yank open the teal curtains that had a ray of dim light shining through the crack. Once mid-morning sunshine spilled through, she was able to fully recognize this room and understand that this was not an unfamiliar bedroom. This was home. Her home before the life she had once enjoyed had been turned completely around. When she thought of her previous state of mind back then,- because how could she ever be the same?- it brought to the fore just how utterly ungrateful she had been. Ungrateful for the love she now saw that her parents really felt for her. Why did she long for her birth father to be back in her life? Why wasn't she appreciative at the time for the attention she received from her mom and Richard?

" _Hindsight is always 20/20_ ", she thought bitterly. Well, if there was one thing she had to thank the clown for, it was how he had made her see her hypocritical ways, and learn from them.

Still, no matter how much she had grown, and hardened, she wasn't exactly sure if she now felt right in this house- even laying in this fluffy, warm bed felt somehow _wrong_. As if she were in someone else's bed, and she was an intruder. Simply put, she felt... incomplete. As if something inside of her was missing and was as yet unfulfilled. But these were difficult ponderings to comprehend at the moment when it was still morning, and all she really wanted right now was to make certain her parents were okay.

Standing, she hastily picked out a simple outfit for the day, happy to be able to wear her own clothes she had picked out herself for once, and glad that she would be nearly stress free for...only a week. It was such a short time, and she already worried about how her family will cope with her second disappearance. Before these thoughts could reduce her to tears, she shook them away; there was no point thinking like that when it would change nothing. Now fully dressed, she slowly opened her door, and slunk across the short hall to open her parents' door. They were safely in the bed that her mother had owned for about three years, that sat in the plain, light brown, wooden bed frame.

Satisfied with their sleeping state, she closed the door, and went to the bathroom for a shower since it had been awhile. When that was done, and she was redressed and standing in the white, steamy bathroom before the mirror. She was currently trying her best to tame her wild hair, and when she was finished, she reached to open the door when something in her reflection gave her pause. Leaning forward, closer to the mirror she could see clear changes with her face and even her countenance was different. Now she held her chin tucked more so than before, and her shoulders were clearly stiffened as if she was always on the defensive now. But it was her face that slightly worried her. Most noticeable was how defined her cheekbones were now when they hadn't been before, and the longer hair lay over her shoulders. But the eyes, they were the most unfamiliar aspect to her. These almond shaped eyes that stared out of this small, pale face were the eyes of someone who knew what terrors the world had to offer, even though she had never experienced true heartache, the evidence of the knowledge she now possessed was clear for all to see. And these changes gave her a wild, alien appearance that was almost too much for her to deal with. When she pulled back, though, these things disappeared and resumed their normal semblance.

To say she was a little disturbed would be an understatement. While she didn't particularly care about what people thought of her, she was a little sad that she couldn't come through that whole experience unscathed. She had always told herself- perhaps foolishly- that she could do just about anything, and be anyone she wanted and if she could prepare herself mentally, then she would be okay. Yep, that really worked out for her.

As she was leaving the bathroom, a woman's wail rang through the house and Emily froze in response. A second later, recognition dawned on her and she leapt to her old room where the sound came from, and found her mother kneeling in the middle of the room with her daughter's- Emily's- old stuffed elephant toy clutched in her arms.

Emily's heart clenched at the sight. Taking a knee beside her mom, she grasped her shoulders and tried looking in her eyes. "Mom", she whispered fervently. "Mom, it's all right. I'm not gone, I'm right here".

When Jeanine's eyes focused once more and she saw where she was, she seemed ashamed of her reaction as she whispered, "I thought you left again... I thought last night had been a dream".

With tears in her eyes, Emily hugged her mom's still form and murmured reassurances.

"I promise, I'm here now. I'll always be here for you". The lie felt so wrong and cruel but there was no other way. How could she tell them about all she had faced?

Pulling away, she forced a smile and said, "Let's get some breakfast, mom. Just us".

Not waiting for a response, she helped her mom up, and walked with her mom to the kitchen. One thought buzzing through her head all the while;

 _How could she leave her mom a second time?..._

 _..._

"Aggghh! I swear I don't know anything! Let me up!"

The Joker rubbed his ringing ears; this thug was by far the loudest of the- was it five? Oh well- five thugs he had been interrogating throughout the night. Though he wouldn't really say interrogate, more like... _helping_ them recall something they might have normally forgotten if he wasn't there to jog their memory. He can be so helpful when he needs to be.

Leaning forward over the muscular man that was tied to a chair, the Joker said to him with feigned disappointment, "Are you _sure_? Because I happen to know for a fac _t",_ dramatic pause for effect, "that you were supposed to be, uh, watch-ing this place while I was gone, and around the time this _per-son_ was stealing my thingss". His voice had lowered to a growl by the end, and the other man was positively trembling in his boots. The Joker rocked back on his heels, and turned so his back was to him. Then he began to speak in a very nasally tone, "Looks like whatever way you _slice it",_ a knife was produced from within purple pockets as he continued and turned back around with a cocked brow, "you still didn't. Do. Your. Job. Did you-" he paused, then tilted his head contemplatively. "What's your name again?"

The thug was clearly confused and for a moment he couldn't speak, but as soon as his boss narrowed his eyes in warning, the other man instantly responded, "A-Andrew Waters".

The Joker's face brightened, and he twirled his switchblade between his fingers as he thought it over. _Waterss,_ he thought to himself. _What a great idea._ He locked eyes with his goon, and smiled an evil grin before turning around to open the door to the hallway and yell out, "Kate!" She should be here right now, and he needed her to get him something.

He was about to yell again when she appeared around the corner. "Yes?" She said.

He gave her specific instructions for what he wanted her to do and though her look was quizzical, she didn't voice a question but went and did as she was told. Turning back to face the scared thug, he could not help the suddenly excited smile that stretched his scarred cheeks. This was going to be a great joke and a good laugh is really something everyone needs at least once a day- it keeps you young, and in a great mood. Speaking of, he was in a particularly angry mood when he found out about his missing stuff, but he expected this to clear that right up.

When the thug started to shiver uncontrollably, he felt the smile grow and his excitement increase. He looked where the thug's eyes were directed; at his switchblade, and he asked the other man, "Are you, uh... _scared_ of my little knife?" The thug gulped audibly, and seemed to think about it before slowly nodding his head. "Hmm, I though _t_ so. But you don't need to worry; I'm not gonna hurt you with it anymore". He put it back in his pocket and watched the other man visibly relax. Yes, give them a false sense of security before taking their safety net away. It was so much more fun that way.

As as if sensing the direction his thoughts were taking, Kate walked in on cue to deliver two large buckets of water to him. They were so big, it was a wonder how her thin arms managed the things. When they were set before him, and she was about to leave he stopped her with a word and told her to wait there until he was finished. She did so, and watched on as he tormented the bound man.

"So, I'm going to ask you just _one_ more time _-uh;_ do you know who was in here who shouldn't have been here?"

It was plain in the thug's eyes what he knew was about to happen because of his response, but he still gave the same answer as he had already; "I..don't..know".

"Ah, what a shame". But the Joker's voice didn't sound sad, on the contrary, he sounded delighted. Grabbing a small, hand made clamp from the table, he proceeded to place it in the other man's mouth as he made sure to plug his nose and slowly, ever so slowly- oh, he is so good at drawing it out- drowned him with the thug squealing like a pig the entire time. Come to think of it.. He kind of looked like one, too. Ha, ha.

As Kate watched, she didn't feel even the slightest bit of sadness for her former comrade; years around the Joker will do that to you. But it was also because she hated any forms of insubordination, or betrayal and Andrew had demonstrated both as she was sure that he knew who the mole in their midst was, but he refused to say and thus he was disposable to her. The _only_ times she had outright defied her boss was when she felt he was being unnecessarily cruel to Emily, and even then she didn't really know why she should care about what he does with his captives. But as she searched herself, she knew why she cared- because she viewed Emily as a child and children struck a cord in her heart. Perhaps because she couldn't fulfill her obligations as a mother, and therefore was trying to make up for it in that way. She had never seen the Joker directly harm a child during her years with him, and when she had first learned of his desire to have this young girl from another city, worry and fear had immediately consumed her and made her surly and a little more difficult. But watching him with her over time with her, it was not what she had expected. He didn't act differently in his everyday attitude, but when he was with her he was perhaps more civil. She was sure Emily might disagree, but he was far more content than she had ever seen him. Maybe they were good for each other, but his was, of course, just her own private observations.

Once the thug was completely dead, and the Joker stepped back he surveyed the white foam gurgling from his mouth and he felt very satisfied with his work. But that happy feeling could not last long as he acknowledged that he still didn't know who was rifling through his stuff. This was beyond simply irritating, and now he was restless because no matter that he had gone through nearly half a dozen goons, he still was exceedingly unhappy, which was rare for him. Laughter was such a freeing thing, and to not be able to have it... for the sake of the rest of his lackeys, they better not cross him today.

Turning to leave, his eyes landed on the blonde woman standing stiffly beside the door and his eyes narrowed slightly in annoyance as he asked in a voice that masked his anger, "Is there any par-tic-ular reason you're still in here, hm, Katie?"

She frowned slightly in response, clearly confused. "You told me to stay after I brought back the buckets..."

His face cleared momentarily as he recalled that he did in fact tell her to stay, and it was so that he could ask her a question. But he was still very irritated at having been corrected, as evidence by his tone of voice. "Yes, now I need to know if you still have your car around?"

"... Yes. I do".

"Good", he said with fake cheerfulness as he gathered his purple coat and gloves. "Because we are going to need it for a trip to Gotham's own _master of fear_ himself". His voice dripped with intentional mockery and scorn.

"Jonathan Crane?" Kate asked incredulously.

"Is there anybody _else_ who deals in fear for a living?" He responded in exasperation as he walked past her.

"But why, boss?" She asked him.

Briefly, he glanced over his shoulder, and said in a conspiratorial whisper, "It's a surprise".

Before she could ask anymore annoying questions, he slammed the door and stalked to his bedroom to hopefully get in a mid-morning nap because he was, for once, very tired which served to effectively exacerbate his already foul mood and only make it harder for him to concentrate on finding this rat and who their employer is. Even despite his good laugh at his former employee's fate, he was still very restless and desperately in need of sleep. However, he knew all too well just how difficult it was to find rest when he still simmered with boiling anger and rage. Anger had kept him up many nights throughout his life; going back to one of his earliest memories, he could remember feeling rage towards his father for his violent tendencies, or rage towards his mother for dying when she did, rage towards police and all people of authority, rage towards himself for behaving in ways that were far too much like his father. Then the memories from Arkham where he felt nearly constant anger towards everyone and everything before he earned his _permanent_ smile, rage towards humanity for all its hypocrisy that was so apparent to him but everyone else was blind to it. And of course, there was the one and only Dark Knight himself who had the honor of being the sole focus of his attention for so much longer than most. But when he left, all the admiration, respect, and enjoyment he felt towards the flying rodent were squashed and turned to blind anger. But then, there was Emily. She was only the second person to ever capture and hold his attention for an extended period of time. What fun they have had and could have together in the future.

Thinking about her, his temper was, for the moment, quieted while he recalled the smell of her hair, the feel of her skin, and her lips on his. She had yet to respond appropriately, but there was plenty of time to change that. These were the thoughts running rampant through his head as he undressed and lay down to stare at the ceiling while he was the most still he has been in sometime. Laying, thinking about guns, explosives, knives, smiles, and Emily he was able to doze a few times but never sleep for long. Annoyed, he rolled over on his side with his right arm extended out where _she_ would have been, and the hand unintentionally tightened around the sheets that it held until his knuckles were white and the fabric threatened to tear. He was beginning to regret letting her leave... No. He needed something, _anything_ right now to still his thoughts.

Getting his pants and shirt back on, he left the room for another one a few doors down on the right, and when he was there he stepped into the dark room that hummed with the sound of computers. Turning them on, he waited impatiently for the screens to glow to life once more and he instantly searched them for her. When he found her, he cocked his head and licked his lips hungrily at the sight before him. She was so innocent when she was sleeping and it was a pleasing thing for him to watch. But unfortunately a flicker of what could only be described as jealousy flashed through his being while he tried to subdue it as he watched her converse, hug, and comfort these two people who call themselves parents. It was so irritating, he very nearly punched a screen but was able to stop himself in time before he broke something he found to be incredibly useful. In fact, this gave him an idea..

With a private giggle, he left the room to find Kate and tell her that there was a change of plans...

...

"Mom, are you sure you're okay?", Emily asked worriedly. She was very concerned for her parents after what she had seen; piled up mail and dishes, with dust everywhere as if they were never here. These were, of course, nothing compared to the worry of just looking at her mom while she poked at her food. Her mom would constantly glance up as if to reassure herself that her daughter was there, and everything was all right. How could Emily expect anything else? She was her mom's only child, and she had completely disappeared for many weeks without any word from her. It was hard to comprehend the level of loss and despair her mother must have felt. She hoped that she was able to care for her own kids as much as her mom does her. If she ever has any, that is.

Suddenly, as Jeanine was about to respond to Emily's question, she erupted in a huge coughing fit as she struggled for breath. Richard and Emily were at her side almost instantly as they asked her if she needed anything.

"It's been like this for weeks, but she says she doesn't need to go to the hospital", Richard said sadly as he held his wife's hand comfortingly while she slowly regained her breath.

Once her mom was able to take a full breath, Emily spoke teasingly, "I didn't know you were so hard headed, mom". Jeanine gave a weak smile in response. "But seriously", Emily continued with worry plain in her voice, "you should go see a doctor. If it is something serious, and you've had it for weeks, you should get it looked at".

Jeanine looked like she was about to argue, but seemed to think better of it as she responded placatingly, "I suppose you're both right; better safe than sorry".

Richard seemed exponentially relieved as he fished out a cellphone, and said, "I'll see if they can get us in today".

When they learned the doctor could see them that day, Emily spent the entire time convincing them to leave her while they left which started an expected large argument between mother and daughter as they each tried to convince the other to change their minds. In the end, it was Emily who won as she said, "I just need some alone time; I don't feel so great". In truth, though, her reason for staying was so that she could help around the house as much as possible before she had to leave again- the guilt she felt was practically eating her alive. Once they had left- albeit reluctantly- she began with dusting, mail sorting, dishes, and making freezable meals for them to make things easier. She only hoped it helped.

Once she had finished everything she could think of to do, and her parents were still not back, she sat on the back deck with her cat and spoke to him of her childhood growing up in this house; how she felt at the young age when her dad left them, how she felt about Richard when she first met him (a little apprehensive at first, but his kind nature quickly grew on her), how she felt when her mom remarried, when her first and last dog got hit by a car, when her 'best' friend left for Gotham City. This made her question when or if life will ever make sense again.

The front door slammed shut inside the house, which she could easily hear from outside through the glass sliding doors. Setting Tuck aside, she stepped into the house, and turned left into the kitchen which had the front hall, and the living room on the right. "Mom? Dad? Are you here?" What a stupid question- of course they were, why wouldn't they be?

But she was in for a huge shock as she rounded the corner and froze at the sight in her parents' living room. The Joker, in his usual smeared make up, purple suit, and ruffled greenish/blonde hair, was currently staring at a picture on the wall of her when she was eleven years old. She looked like quite a dork back then.

When his black eyes flicked to hers, she wasn't sure what to do or think. Was she in trouble? Why was he here? Is he here to take her back already? It has only been a day and a half! Wasn't he supposed to be a man of his word? As he stalked towards her and reached out to run his fingers through her hair with a sly smile upon his red lips, she felt a little resentful but mostly shocked. _What could he possibly want from her?_

 **A/N**

I am very sorry for the shortness of this chapter, and for the long delay. I _tried_ to give you readers some meat in this chapter, so you understand why these guys make the decisions that they do later on. Here is my excuse for leaving ya hanging; I am _still_ having internet problems even though I've moved! And when I finally got back to my notes I had saved on here, it took me quite a while to get back in the mindset and as I looked at my notes, I was like "Girl! Where were you going with this? It makes no sense!" haha, so yeah I just rambled, but I feel like if I were you guys, I'd like to hear the reasons for a long absence :)

THANK YOU FOR ADDING THIS STORY TO YOUR FOLLOWS, FAVORITESr, OR ALERTS! It means a lot.

THANK YOU REVIEWERS;

Kyokkou, Thanks for your kind, insightful words.

fanfic authoress, You are too nice;)

Thank you, AidansQueen! You're awesome!

Jennar 27...I'm obsessed with reviews:/ . . . ;-D


	27. Chapter 27

**Disclaimer: read chapter 2. I don't own any Disney, either!**

 **There are so many people to thank, and I'm very sleepy right now, so just know you guys are great! I will be going back in earlier chapters to fix the many many mistakes, so if you ever go back to reread them (as I hope you will!) if you see any differences, that's why :) I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! See ya next chapter!**

"W-what are you doing here?" Emily asked in utter disbelief at seeing him here. In her home, and touching her.

His only response to her question, was a distracted, "Hm" and continuing to run his fingers through her hair while he drank her in with his eyes.

She fidgeted; entirely uncomfortable, and unsure how to proceed. Why exactly was he here? After another tense minute, she blurted out in desperation, "It hasn't been a week yet!"

The stroking stopped and his black orbs finally met her own, and she did not shrink back, not even when the slightest of smiles began playing upon his lips, which should send anyone with any sense running for the hills. "Really? I had no idea", he responded nasally, in an impatiently sarcastic tone.

Allowing her annoyance at that response move her to break out of her stunned state, she stepped back, out of his reach and set her face in a glare. His leather gloves hand stayed stretched out where her face had been for a moment before it clenched and he brought it back to his side. Now they took the opportunity to observe one another, and as they held their mini stare off, she noted how his paint bled into all three colors more than she had ever seen before, his hair unkempt instead of the usual wild, the side of his head was actually bleeding from a large scrape, she belatedly realized, and he looked... almost _tired_. He was usually so full of energy, that seeing him like this gave her pause. She wondered why he looked so haggard, then remembered she shouldn't care, it doesn't matter because she still wants him out.

"I didn't ask if you knew that to be a fact or not", she spat angrily. "You still shouldn't be here right now".

Warning flashed in his eyes, but the smile remained. "Now, now", he crooned mockingly, "didn't you want me to, didn't you, uh, _ask_ me to visit you? Hm?"

Remembering those words she had said for reasons she couldn't remember, she averted her gaze and looked instead at the end table near the couch beside him with its chipping wood from years of use, wanting to look at anything other than his face at this moment while she thought over a response.

"Sorry", she breathed, deciding that was the best answer, and eternally grateful that he seemed too tired to be fully angry. "I just didn't expect you this soon. You're right, though... I did say that".

He seemed placated...for the moment. She imagined he cocked his head and continued his staring at her and saying nothing all the while. She could _feel_ his eyes burning into her face but she still refused to look up.

"Can I just ask", she swallowed once, "why are you here right now? Surely you have better things to do..."

"... Didn't I just tell you why?" He sounded irritated by the questioning, but she didn't let it stop her from trying to get an answer from him.

"You said I asked you to come, but you did not say your reason for coming", she said with a hint of smugness.

Feeling his body heat suddenly directly in front of her, she looked up quickly to see him standing there. Just two inches away. Immediately she gasped and tried to step back, but his strong hand on her arm prevented further escape. It was like he was intentionally trying to intimidate her as he raised a hand once again to her hair.

"What if I said I came just because I missed you? Would that be so _unbelievable_ for you?" He said, dragging out the word 'unbelievable'.

Something about his smug look, made her try to squirm away harshly. "Yes, it _is_ unbelievable that you would miss me, let alone that you even could!"

He had a mock-offended look on his face, but his words sounded almost sincerely offended to her ears. _Almost_ sincere, "And jus _t_ _how_ do you know that, _sweeetheart_?"

Leveling her eyes with his, she could not raise her voice above a whisper; she was getting so lost in his bottomless eyes, "You couldn't possibly be capable of really feeling something like that".

She waited on bated breath for the outburst she was sure would follow. But it never came. He just...looked at her. An intense and unyielding look while tiny flecks of true emotion flickered across his face; anger, hurt, hatred, irritation, disbelief, before finally settling on an unreadable expression upon his painted face.

The fear and annoyance in her faltered, then disappeared as she looked in his eyes as if seeing them for the first time. After a moment, her eyes drifted to his ruby red, puckered scars. What happened to him? she wondered. She had never asked, she feared for whoever _did_ ask that question of him. It was such a horrific thing, wether self inflicted or not, it was really no wonder he was the way he was. Maybe all it really _did_ take, as he had said, was a single really bad day to completely turn the most normal of persons, into a complete monster.

" _What_ ", she wondered to herself, " _would it take to turn_ me _into... this_ ". And in that one moment, she had to admit to herself;

She truly pitied him.

Not thinking straight, so caught in her sympathetic thoughts, she forgot who exactly she was with, and in the next second, she raised the arm not being held in his hand, up to lay it against his cheek.

Faster than the eye could blink, he captured her wrist in his hand, stopping her. She looked back at his eyes again, to find them still unreadable, but with a hint of anger lingering deep within. She tried to convey her intent without words, and even as she stared, he suddenly, unexpectedly, laid her hand on the cheek, right on top of the scar. As her fingers lay over the warm flesh, she did not once break eye contact with him, she thinking it would be a huge mistake.

So consumed with the rough and soft texture of the skin, that she nearly jumped back when he began to speak again, "Horrifying, aren't they?" He sounded like he almost expected just what her answer would sound like.

"No", she said. But seeing his mildly surprised look, she elaborated, saying, "They aren't really. I'm just..."

"Just' wha **t**?" He prodded in a husky tone, and she could tell he was running his tongue over the scars on the skin inside of his cheek.

"Just", steeling her resolve, she quickly finished before she lost her nerve not knowing how he would react to her words, "just sorry this happened to you is all".

Having looked away as she spoke, she snuck a glance at him, and noted the genuine surprise on his face; clearly this had not been the response he had expected. She was probably the only one, she realized, who had ever said that to him in recent years, if anyone ever had at all.

While they continued to gaze at each other, his eyes suddenly changed from surprised, to...something else. She could not place it. Until his face vegan inching towards her own, and he placed his lips over her's in the tenderest kiss he and she had ever shared. It conveyed a single emotion shared between them, though what exactly that one feeling was, was yet to be placed for certain, they just shared in it, and enjoyed it while it lasted.

After a minute, he pulled away and, with his eyes still closed, he rested his head on hers and nuzzled her hair contentedly. Feeling completely safe, she rested her own head on his chest, allowing herself to feel the butterflies in her stomach after that kiss. It couldn't last however, when he said something that simultaneously ruined the moment, scared and shocked her to the core; "Let's, uh, get back home so we can continue this... _discussion_ , how about it?" It would be hard to miss the suggestive tone that rang in his words.

Hearing no response, he pulled back just enough to see her expression, and he was a bit confused to see her face was paled in fear and horror shone thickly in her eyes.

"What are you talking about? I _am_ home", she said urgently. Though she feared she already knew what his response would be, she desperately searched his fathomless eyes for some sign of decency, or some form of understanding. But she was to be disappointed at her findings. For all there was to be seen, was a selfish evil, and a disturbing obsession so profound and intense... it scared her more than anything and froze the very blood in her veins.

His cheek twitched in agitation. "You know _exactly_ what I'm talking about, Em- _Ilyy._ You don't be-long here; you _belong_. With. Me".

Something in her heart that she could not explain, gave a pang at those words, but faded back into her rising panic.

He, thinking it was settled, began dragging her behind him, towards the front hallway and on to the door. To never seeing her parents again. At that thought, and after only three strides, she planted her feet, and with strength beyond what she'd known she had, wrenched her arm viciously away, and began screeching at him, not caring of the consequences, "You lied, didn't you? You said I could stay for a week! Why are you taking me back now? What is so special about me? Tell me! Or I am calling the cops".

Hm, this put a halt to his plans to get her out of here quietly. He wasn't exactly in the condition or the mood to deal with cops right now and even if she can't get to a phone, she can still scream and alert neighbors. Why did she need to make everything so difficult? Admittedly though, this was something about her that also entranced as well as enraged him, so he couldn't be too angry at her having the audacity to question him because he admired it. Still, he deduced that he would give her answers, at least so she quiets down. They simply might have to not be the answers she wanted.

At length, he responded, saying, "Some- _thingss..._ Came u _p_ ".

"That's not an answer", she immediately objected.

Licking his lips once, again irritated by her tone, he took a moment to picture some of his thugs laying prone with ruby smiles up their cheeks, like his, and the mental image helped quell his red hot anger. But even that could not keep out the way his words sounded as if they should be spoken from the mouth of a dragon than his own, so anger filled were they.

"I have found your... _situation_ here to be a... precarious thing at the moment".

"You think I'm not safe here?" she snorted, thinking of how unsafe she was while she was in his company.

He nodded his head once, confirming her question; her eyes narrowed, and she squared her shoulders in response, trying futilely to match his towering height. "I don't need you to 'protect' me. I can take care of myself just fine".

Raising an eyebrow, a genuinely amused smile suddenly broke across his painted face at her show of stubbornness. "Ah, yes. As evidence by how _well_ you took care of yourself during your last escapade without me". Referring to her escape attempt.

Sensing him readying to strike, she knew she'd need to escape this clown, if not for her own freedom, then at least so she doesn't have to leave her parents again so soon. Her eyes tried to discreetly look around the room for either a weapon or something else to aid her escape since she didn't think she could kill him. She didn't know why, she just couldn't. Having found no such thing in this room, she readied herself to run to the kitchen instead. But right before she was about to turn and sprint away, she heard a _click_ and her eyes snapped back to his figure, to see a gun pointed directly at her.

"Ah, ah", he corrected her with vicious amusement, in a sing-song voice. "Don't even _think_ about i _t_ ".

Freezing in place, a feeling of utter hopelessness began to consume her, and she allowed it to. As she did, images of her parents faces flashed before her eyes, but even that was not nearly enough to motivate, or rekindle what little fight there was still in her. For a single second, she allowed more of this internal pity party to reign inside her, and with it came one burning question; why her? Why couldn't this happen to someone else? Why does she have to be the sole object of a notorious serial killer's attention? Was it something she did wrong in life that attracted this sort of thing to her? But even as that thought entered her head, she knew the answer; no, it was not hers, it was _his_ fault she was in this situation at all, and it was on him as to why she was torn like this. The pity for him she had felt was gone now, replaced with the sheer will to live, to stay here, to be happy.

Levelling her gaze with his, she began in a whisper that turned to a near pleading yell, "No. I won't go back with you. Whatever these...people that you're talking about could do to me, it would certainly be nothing compared to what you have done. I'm a different person than I was weeks ago, and I will not let you control my life anymore, just let me stay here and whatever happens, happens! I don't believe what you have to say anymore; you lied to me! I not now nor have I ever trusted you and I sure as hell don't want to stay with you forever! I don't-!"

"Enough", he growled, surprised at himself for allowing her to go on so long, but he'd finally reached his boiling point.

Practically hissing in rage, he stalked towards her still form and placed the barrel of the gun heavily agains the side of her head.

Still she did not break eye contact with him; staring as fiercely as she could, she said in a resigned, but also harsh voice, "You want to kill me, then kill me. You want to take me, then take me. But I will never submit to you".

He was so mad, rare was the day he did not get what he wanted, and fairly easily too. He was just seconds away from pulling the trigger, and spilling her precious little brains... when something stayed his hand. Now, perhaps it was the least black of the black shreds of his long un-used conscience telling him not to do it, perhaps it was a long forgotten memory buried deep within his twisted mind, reminding him of a time of happiness, and humanity for him, or the less likely, but still possible option that he felt an _attachment_ to her. And that in killing her he was severing something he didn't want to destroy just yet. Whatever it was, while he looked upon her, he had to admire how she had never looked more fearless than in this moment when she was probably terrified on the inside. Something in him saw the similarities between them, and the differences, and it felt like they were almost two differing halves of the same thing. Ew, that sounds way too sappy for his liking. But still true, nevertheless, he could _feel_ it. He wasn't going to kill her, but he also couldn't stand to look at her right now, or ever again, really.

Letting the hand holding the gun fall back to his side, he held his narrow eyed stare at her, and with his lip curled in distaste, he growled deeply just six last words to her, "Don't say I didn't _warn_ you".

Unbelievably, he actually turned around, and he just...left. He left her. He left her! She could hardly believe it when the door slammed, shaking the whole front of the house, a car started outside, then sped off and just like that... He was gone. Beneath her disbelief, and joy, there was a flicker deep inside of her, like a candle in the wind; a feeling of loss, and deep sadness, as if she had just lost something that was close to her. But it disappeared as quickly as it came, and she sank to the floor, for the moment, too emotional and exhausted to stand upright without some sort of support. And feeling the tan carpet beneath her hands, she couldn't wait for her parents to be home, finally able to fully enjoy her time with them without the looming fear of her departure around the corner.

Some hours later, when they did eventually return, she wasted no time in hugging them, and asking how it went at the doctor's. They responded that they had some tests done that had yet to come back from the lab, but in the meantime the doctor prescribed some medicine for the cough, that should be at the pharmacy tomorrow and, they spent the evening as a truly close, loving family should; before the fireplace, watching Disney's Beauty and the Beast, and falling asleep in each other's arms, totally and completely unaware of the coming chaos brewing not too far from here. Threatening to destroy this family tie...

...

Upon the Joker's return to the warehouse, and a few hours afterwards, it was pure mayhem for everyone around him. Kate tried to stay away from him as much as possible, but that didn't mean she couldn't hear the shrieks of agony from many a lackey, brought on by the continuing torture for information from these men.

She guessed that his visit with Emily did not go very well. That, coupled with the fact that there was _still_ no new evidence to help finding the thief in their midst, put the boss in a very very foul mood. She was considering calling in a skilled friend from home for some backup to help solve this because it was getting crazier than usual around here. Then she thought suddenly of her friend. Even if it was nice that Emily got to see her family for awhile, Kate still missed her. Missed her smile, her strong attitude, and how a different light seemed to come into the Joker's eyes when she was around.

Kate quickly fished out a cellphone to call her friend. After a couple rings, there was a groggy, male, accented voice on the other end, "Hello..?"

"Hello, Andy. I need a favor..." When the information had been given to him he told her he would get right on it.

Just when she was about to hang up, however he quickly warned her, "Kate, you know even with my incredible skill set, it could take at least five days to find this guy, or girl, with this kind of weak information".

"I trust you'll do your best, though. Right?" A muttered grumble on the other end, and she snapped the phone shut, hanging up on him. She knew he could find this person, he was a great tracker, after all, she had worked many a case with him.

Her thoughts took a different, more melancholy tone when they turned back to Emily's absence, and the boss' angrier than usual outbursts. What if... What if he killed her? Her heart gave a pang of worry at the thought. What if they had a usual quarrel, and he lashed out, and was now angry he had? She couldn't stand this, and there was one sure way to know what happened. She had to ask him.

After some walking through halls that twisted and snaked around the whole building, she found herself before the metal door to his office. Raising a hand to knock, she paused, momentarily torn with indecision. He has been very unhappy since he got back, and her self preservation instinct was kicking in. She could very well be killed if she goes in there. But then the idea of seeing Emily laying dead on the ground ran through her thoughts, and it stirred a fire in her enough to push open the door without ceremony.

This was...unexpected. The Joker, resting his elbows on the worktable, with eyes closed he appeared to be sleeping, but she knew better. Creeping up slowly, she saw the dried blood, smeared paint particularly on the mouth, and smelled the cloying sweat smells wafting off him. More worry grew in her, what if they had a fight, and she was somewhere severely injured? Kate would never be able to forgive herself for not repeating back to Emily that she loved her.

It was more unnerving the longer she stood there, so she spoke in her usual direct, calm voice, "Excuse me? Boss?"

Those infamous, deep eyes crept open to stare at her with clear hostility. She was about to politely inquire about Emily, but the words suddenly died on her tongue. There was something aside from anger in his eyes, something much more _human_ than she had ever seen of him before. Something unplaceable, but was akin to... _loss._ For a fleeting second, she considered if he could feel that, but just as quickly it was gone, replaced instead with his usual dark humor, and evil intentions that were always playing within his eyes.

Shaking her head, she watched him straighten in one fluid movement to his full height. Towering over most people, but not her as she was quite tall, she watched as he strode slowly around the table to face her.

They each simply stared for a few moments, until he spoke first, "Wha _t_ ex-actly are you doing in here, hm?" Raising his eyebrows, he awaited her response expectantly.

"Well, I was just curious as to what's put you so out of sorts this evening?"

"Out. Of. _Sorts?"_ He rolled each word off his tongue experimentally. "Interesting turn of phrase, I think I'll use it sometime". He was even more condescending than usual as well as angrier.

"More specifically", Kate began, "what happened with Emily? When is she coming back?"

That was the wrong thing to say, as the atmosphere in the room instantly shifted and his eyes seemed to blaze with red fire while he worked his mouth the way he does when he's extremely ticked off.

" _That,_ Katie, is _none_ of your concern". His voice had turned into a literal growl at the end, and she unconsciously took a half step back, but in addition to scared, she was apprehensive at his words and what he meant by that?

"What do you mean?" She asked, voicing her question aloud.

"I mean, exactly what I said _-uh_. Or is that too di-ffi-cul _t_ for you to comprehend?"

Repeating her question, she quickly asked, "When is she coming back, then?"

Once again, his demeanor shifted. This time, from anger, to cool indifference as he leaned back slightly and shrugged his shoulders uncaringly.

But when his eyes met her's, there was something else there that he couldn't hide no matter how hard he tried. "She's not coming back". Cold, cruel, devoid of any emotion. Just as he always had been. Ever since she had known him before he met _her_.

What does he mean, she's never coming back? But looking at him, there were no answers there, just the same indifferent look. But even seeing it, she still questioned it. How can someone go through so much trouble for someone else, to simply discard them like they were nothing?

...

In one of the more foul parts of the city, one muscular villain in charge of this entire thing, was in the middle of giving some specific instructions to his more slight in comparison, partner. They were going to enact something that would change this city forever. Starting tomorrow.

"Are you certain these two women can handle this?" The burly one asked.

"I assure you, we won't let you down". The slight one grudgingly admitted.

"Good". The man said in his deep baritone voice. "It is time to put this plan into motion, is it not?"

They all nodded in confirmation. Let this city get a taste of its true ruler. And it was _not_ that clown. He had no weaknesses, so the only card they had to play was to take and _dispose_ of something he cares for.

...

The next day, Emily couldn't remember being happier. She had all but forgotten her feelings towards the Joker, chalking them up as unimportant, and spending time really talking with her parents and offering a kind word or encouragement in something they were pursuing here and there. As they spoke, slowly it dawned on her; they were done parenting her. She and her parents were officially at the stage that there was no more corrections to be made or anything of the sort. They were friends now. It was time for her to have her own kids and to parent them, and raise them to adulthood. It was such a happy feeling, it made her cheeks hurt from smiling so much.

"Mom?" She asked suddenly at breakfast.

Her mom's eyes met her's with some concern at the urgent tone. "What is it, Em?"

Taking a breath, thinking over her question before saying it, she asked, "How did you know that Rich- Dad, was the one for you? I want to know how you were certain about it?"

Jeanine's eyes softened, and she grasped her daughter's hand as she responded, "There really is a simple answer; We were meant to be. Now, it may have taken some mistakes and lapses in judgement before we made it to each other, but when we met, we knew".

Emily thought this over, and watched her mom stare lovingly at Richard who was in the kitchen doing the dishes. It was a very warming feeling.

The rest of the day passed almost in a complete blur. They went to her favorite childhood park nearby, had a nice lunch, she asked her mom many life questions she somehow felt she had to ask, as if there wouldn't be any time for it in the future. She introduced them to her cat- they loved him, and after a couple of minutes, he warmed up to them as well. They played Uno of all things for a long while in the afternoon.

Suddenly, Richard glanced at his watch, and sighed as he said, "I'm going to need to head to town to get that medication for you, honey".

"Oh, yes", Jeanine replied knowingly.

Deciding on it very quickly, Emily spoke up, "I'll get it for you".

When her mom's eyes met her own, she could see the hesitation there. Emily had completely disappeared once before, so what was to stop it from happening again?

Before her mom could voice an objection, Emily assured her, saying, "It will only be like forty five minutes at the most. Please? I want to help you guys".

Finally, Jeanine caved, and nodded quietly that it was ok with her. Emily smiled and hugged her mom tightly, not wanting to let go. But she stilled suddenly at her mom's next words, "I know you have a different reason for leaving us, Emily, than the one you gave. Please don't be afraid to tell me anything".

Pulling back, they looked at each other, and after some thought, Emily nodded and said quietly, "I promise, when I get back, I'll tell you just what happened". Her mom seemed satisfied as she kissed her daughter on the head. Before she left, Emily hugged her dad as well.

Having everything she needed, she now stood in front of the table her parents sat at, and looked at them for a moment. Her mom, staring worriedly at her with knowing blue eyes, her dad looking at her mom with worry for her and a deep kind of love people can only dream about. And highlighting them from behind is a gorgeous afternoon sun lighting the maple tree in their backyard. Somehow, even though she knew she would see them again, she felt certain she would remember this moment specifically until the day she died.

Smiling once more, she left the house to town, and after a fifteen minute drive the the supermarket/pharmacy, she waited in line for uncounted minutes- it had to be an hour at least-, behind many other customers, then finally reaching the employee who would be helping her. Only to find this man to be extremely surly and hard to deal with. Giving him the doctor's note, he went in back for fifteen minutes before returning with the wrong medicine. By now she knew her mom would be so worried as she insisted to the worker that this was the wrong thing. When he was convinced, he took much longer in back, and finally brought back the right thing. Thanking him, she left in a rush to find she needed gas. Great. Another fifteen minutes and she was on her way home.

Driving down her street, she could not explain the sudden discomfort she felt in her gut. It made her feel worried for some reason she didn't know. Why should she be worried? Everything was fine. Sure, she was late and it was now almost dark outside, but aside from that, everything was fine. Right?

Once she was parked, and she picked up the brown bag on the passenger seat, she walked up the sidewalk to the front door which.. was broken in? She couldn't explain to this day what happened next, all she remembers is seeing her parents in the living room, side by side, as they lay in pools of their own blood from perfectly aimed gunshot wounds to the head. Then there was the people there with them, two women who were vaguely familiar but Emily was far too numb to pay any attention to it. They walked up and dragged her outside as one of them pushed a needle into her arm and her world began to go fuzzy.

That's when the screaming started.

Not screams really, more like a single scream, a single word. A single name. One which she had heard uttered only once, but seemed so right to say at the moment as she had never called for him before, never asked for him. But now it was like a child calling for their parent after experiencing something traumatic. And her cry was this;

"JACK!"

Then the sensation of being tossed in a trunk, and then utter, blissful blackness.

...


	28. Chapter 28

**Disclaimer: read chapter 2**

 **I SINCERELY hope everyone's Christmas was great! Mine was almost pathetically quiet;) Happy New Year, everyone! A whole year has gone by! Can you believe it? I am so very sorry for the super long wait! I hope you're not all too mad about it, and I can't promise that will be the last time that happens. I cannot tell you how humbled and flattered I am that any one of you would check this story regularly for the updates, it means a lot! It is somewhat helpful if you review to tell me to update, but you know what would work better? Is if you told me what you like about this story and the reason you want me to update quickly:)**

 **FreeSpiritSeeker, Hey! You're the first to get that quote;) Thanks and nice job!**

 **Guest1, Just the reaction I was going for;)**

 **crazykenz, You're not a horrible person! I hope so, too:(**

 **Guest2, Thanks for giving this story a chance! I'm glad you like it!**

 **AidansQueen, Neither can I!:D Thank you!**

 **ChristineDaae-The Princess, Thank you! I think so, too;)**

 **Kyokkou, Thank you so much. You are really too nice;) I'm not judgin' I love my cat, too.**

 **Guest3, Really? Thank you for that!**

 **Guest4, Hey, look; an update! Haha, enjoy!**

 **Brekelly2021, Really? Are you just saying that? Thank you!**

 **Guest5, You have no idea how bad I wanted to update for Christmas, but unfortunately, life happens.**

 **Beotch Ate My Cupcake, Thank you, that is so kind of you! It makes me soooo happy! I hope you like this one:)**

 **welisarne, Thanks so much! And thanks for the Follow;)**

 **Thank YOU everyone who followed/faved/added this story to Alerts, it means so much, and I would hug you all if I could. I am so excited to get to the end of this story mainly because I feel I have been very sneaky with my hints, and I am almost positive none of you can predict the ending:] It will shock lots of you, and maybe anger some, but in the end, I really think you'll like it! If you have any questions whatsoever, feel free to PM me. I promise you'll get an answer:) Until next time!**

 _Run._

 _That was all that was going through her head at the moment as Emily ran through the dark, empty streets from some large city. And as she ran for no immediately apparent reason, she felt a sort of looming dread that followed closely behind her and threatened to suffocate her with its sheer strength should she stop for so much as a moment._

 _Of course, this was only a dream. Thus, she did not feel the physical_ need _to_ _stop_ , _just the desire to quit running from_ _this fear_ _that she knew would somehow catch her anyways no matter where she went or how fast she ran, she would be forced to face it eventually._

 _Still she did not quit running. Down the sidewalk she flew, but it seemed for every twenty feet she went, the light radiating from some point ahead of her, illuminating the dark, purple clouds above it, seemed to move another mile further and further away. Desperately she searched inside herself for what lifeless thing she felt could possibly be chasing her. And when her foggy, dreaming mind found the reason within herself, she halted in her path and stood in the eerily, deafening quiet of the dark street: she was running from denial._

 _She didn't know yet what it was she denied herself the knowledge of, all she knew was she wanted so badly to escape it. Run away, never take responsibility for it and never have to look upon this realization again. Once this thought dawned on her, and she stood there, still as a statue carved from stone, she felt_ it. _Directly behind her and reflecting some kind of heat. It almost felt like body heat._

 _"Emily"._

 _Emily jumped; startled out of her quiet reverie, and looked side to side wildly. Who could have said that? She didn't yet want to face this thing behind her, and surely it could not have been the one to speak her name. It was just an emotion, it couldn't actually_ talk _, could it?_

 _"Sweetheart, it's ok. I'm here now. With you. You're safe now. I'm here"._

 _Emily was frozen; that voice. It held a hint of familiarity in it, but with a somewhat eerie, high tone to the voice that she instinctively recoiled from._ _But that familiar voice was what made her whirl around to see for herself if she was right. And she was._

 _"Mom", Emily sobbed, and reached to clutch herself to her mother._

 _This had been what she had wanted, after all. Somehow, she thought that this was what she had been running towards all along. While her mother rubbed her head and cradled her against her chest, Emily felt her thoughts were verified in this moment. Then why did this feel somehow wrong? Not just that her mom was in her dream for no reason, but why did she feel the need to run from her only to turn around and hug her and then feel..incomplete? Why was she feeling this way?_

 _Slowly she pulled back to look up at her mother, and her mom looked confused at the action. "Honey, what's the matter?"_

 _The words felt right on her tongue, and Emily solemnly uttered them as she stepped back, "It's ok, mom", the next words were pure torture, "I'll be ok without you... I love you"._

 _Pride shone in Jeanine's eyes, and she slowly reached to cup her daughter's chin, and Emily closed her eyes to savor the contact. "My brave girl. You are so strong. And I am so very proud of you". And with that, her touch melted away and Emily's eyes snapped open to reveal an empty street. She was gone. Her sleeping mind did not fully comprehend it, but deep down she knew this would be the last time she saw her mom._

 _She sunk to her knees and hugged herself tightly as if in an effort to keep her heart from shattering and exploding in ruby shards out of her chest that she could keep at bay if she could only hold her chest tightly enough. In that minute, she swore she would try to live a life her mother would be proud of. The oath did nothing to alleviate the pain, but she refused to believe that this is all life is about: you're born, you live a little (as if anyone truly lives), then you die and go who knows where. What is the point? What truly is living, and is there anyone who actually does live life completely and to the fullest?_

 _But as that last thought passed slowly through her mind, she could actually think of one person who does, and she didn't know what to think of him. Not as a person, a friend, a lover, or for what he truly was..a killer._

 _Then, she felt the atmosphere change suddenly, and she heard a very faint snicker from someone who was somewhere to her right. Trying to peek over her shoulder at them, she was able to make out slightly hunched, broad shoulders, a thin figure, a trench coat that was very dark in color, almost black in this lighting. And higher up, longish blonde hair, and deep, dark brown eyes that stared very intently at her. She couldn't look away from the eyes, not even long enough to notice the carved scars in the shape of a smile extending up his cheeks and excentuating the smile already upon his lips. Those eyes were absolutely breathtaking. Almost like a mouse caught in a snake's gaze, or a gazelle in the eyes of a lion. However, the eyes were not filled with purely malicious intentions, there was something more there, and the mouse was not frozen from fear, but another emotion. One that was almost foreign to her._

 _Shakily, never breaking eye contact, she rose to her feet to carefully approach him._

 _His smile never left his face as she walked closer. In fact, he seemed to be excited for her to be nearer. "Now wha **t** do we, uh, have here, hm?"_

 _That voice, so distinct and familiar, made her stop just a few feet away from him. They both looked over each other for a minute. He looked the same as he did in her hazy memories of him, minus the greasepaint. The only memories that she had at the moment of him, however, were not horrible: when he let her keep her scraggly kitten, their last kiss they shared, the time she had found comfort instead of fear while lying beside him in bed. It confused her very much that in this instant, gazing into the eyes of a murderer, this was the safest she had felt in a long while. How absurd it was indeed. That she should prefer his company right now. Maybe she was just procrastinating waking up, because she could feel something unpleasant on the horizon._

 _While she had been thinking over her confusion, she had been only vaguely aware of him slinking closer, and beginning to circle her still form. She nearly jumped awake when he began to speak once again._

 _"You know', he was standing directly in front of her now, and she was forced to crane her neck back to look in his eyes that were still glinting teasingly. His voice, though, sounded mildly annoyed, "you can't come running to me.. Every. Time. There. Is. Someone. Chasing. You"._

 _Her eyebrows furrowed; she timidly asked, "What do you mean by that?"_

 _His response was unexpected, but she didn't move a muscle as he suddenly clasped her face between his large, bare hands and none too gently gave it a squeeze. Letting out a high pitched giggle, he answered her, "You, my dearr, mus_ t _take some in-itia-tive!"_

 _"I don't understand.."_

 _Now his face was just an inch from hers, and his breath was fanning her face in a not totally unpleasant way. "I know, and you're not_ supposed _to. Not yet"._

 _Then he pressed soft lips to her forehead and for the first time, she didn't want this to end. But it had to, and too soon he pulled back and turned on his heel to stalk into the shadows._

 _Leaving her completely alone. This time it was not the dark making her scared. It was the silence, and how reluctant she was to wake and face what she somehow knew would be a horrible fate._

 _Still, she had to get up eventually..._

 _..._

"Hey! Wake up!"

Cold water splashed across her face and Emily's eyes snapped open to reveal two women staring expectantly at her. One black with short hair and one..

"Echo? Query?", Emily hesitantly spoke, unsure what to do as she lay on a cold cement floor and trying to get her bearings.

Query smiled excitedly and stepped forward to lift her up onto her feet. "That's us. How've you been, girl?"

This didn't make any sense to Emily. Why were they speaking in such a flippant manner after they-

Her eyes narrowed to slits and she stepped slowly backwards away from them in this small room. "You two..." she tried to get the words out, "and T-the Riddler.. you're the ones who killed my parents?"

They looked confused. "Well", Echo began, "it was necessary and mr. Riddler asked us to".

Emily thought she would explode she was so angry, hurt and upset. She didn't know what to say, she thought these two maybe liked her when they last met. Finally she settled on, "You three are crazy!"

Now they looked all the more confused, but then Query's eyes brightened and she laughed- she _laughed!_ \- before saying, "Oh, it's not just us three. We've teamed up".

Echo smiled. "Yes, we have. And it's gonna be lots of fun. But first, we need to take you to the boss".

Emily carefully stepped further away. Through tight lips she ground out, "Boss?"

"Yeah, the boss. We need to take you to him and mr. Riddler..right now".

Her shoulders slumped ever so slightly, and Emily sighed as she realized; there was no getting out of this, and there was no one coming to save her, either. So she may as well go with them.

And she did leave with them.

When they opened the door, she was surprised to see the entire wall rolling upwards while making a metallic clanging noise. Then she understood as they walked her to a parked silver car, that this was a small series of storage units in some town she didn't know and with people she didn't know. In fact, the only thing she _did_ know was this:

she could be dead in just a few hours.

...

"Well?" Kate growled into the phone as she awaited her friend's response.

She was currently standing in the warehouse kitchen after robbing a store for some much needed supplies. It had been a relatively quiet day after the Joker had come back. It was obvious he was not torturing anybody at the moment. Frankly, there wasn't anyone left for him to question. Normally she would not worry or wonder over what he may be doing during his silent moments in his 'work' area of the warehouse, but right now... Something wasn't right, and she was thinking about inquiring after him, but right now she had to finish her call.

" _Kate"_ , Andrew's voice spoke over the phone, " _you know these things take time. But I am close to figuring it out"_ He added quickly before she got really mad.

"How close, exactly?" She asked briskly.

" _Um.."_ she could tell he was stalling- " _Maybe I'll have the guy's name for you by tonight, but I'm not sure"._

Now she was truly mad. "Listen to me very carefully, _Andrew Criddle_ ", she nearly hissed into the phone, and she could hear his quick intake of breath over the other line, "If you don't get your arse in gear and actually make a true effort to help me in this, then I will call your bosses over there at Interpol and tell them you spend all day in that little office, by yourself either playing Solitaire or on online dating sites during your work hours!" She awaited his response, hoping she hadn't gone too far.

He swallowed on the other end and when he spoke he sounded slightly shaken, and also resentful, "Fine, Kate. Even though I still don't know exactly when I will have the name for you, it should only be tomorrow at the latest".

"Just so you know, Andrew", she spoke overly sweetly, "tomorrow will be here in just over six hours..."

" _Midnight?! But that's not enough time-"_

"Tick tock".

Silence, then a forced, " _Fine, I'll have it by then"._

"I look forward to your prompt and quick work".

She was about to hang up when he said suddenly, " _Uh, Kate?"_

"Yes?"

" _Did you say the word 'arse' just now?"_

"Yes, what of it?"

" _Nothing, just... You know it means 'ass' right?"_

"Yeah...and?"

" _Well, why didn't you just say 'ass' instead?"_

She made herself a cup of black coffee as she answered, "I think it sounds classier than 'ass'. Why do you ask?"

" _Just curious. I'll call you back as soon as I can"._

"You had better". Her voice held unspoken threats.

" _Bye",_ he said and hung up.

While she stood sipping her coffee, Kate's thoughts went back to how this day had progressed so far with them still having no idea who the intruder was, and how few thugs remained working for the Joker. The ones on watch during the intrusion were long dead now, and anybody who had hear of their boss' recent killing spree had run off in the night. That was something Kate had been great at; finding information on people- such as where they lived-, and then killing them at the Joker's command. Back when she had first begun working for him, and when she used to resent it, she looked up his history as best she could and- through some connections, good information and friends over seas- she had found a history on a Jack Napier. The last record of him was when he was in foster care at fifteen after his mother died and his father was put in prison. It had been very difficult to find any information on his past history, as the foster system was always difficult to hack with its sealed records and many things being left just on paper and not computerized. But that scrawny fifteen year old boy.. take away the scars, makeup, and shed some years and muscle there was no mistaking that face or those deep, knowing brown eyes that- even at such a young age- held a terrible knowing of the true horrors the world had to offer. And, Kate supposed, she was the only one with this knowledge about the Clown Prince of Crime's childhood, but even she had no clue as to what turned him into Gotham's most feared villain. She could recall the very day her perception of him changed. When he changed from a vicious killer with no past he spoke of, to- in her eyes- a lost human being that fate had dealt a cruel hand to and was just lashing out and making the most of what life had dealt him while clinging and glorifying and also adding menace to his greatest childhood fear; clowns. There had been an article she had found from an old newspaper on the internet about a five year old Jack Napier being taken with his teenage babysitter to the circus and watching her get stabbed to death by a pair of clown dressed thugs who let him live and stole the sitter's purse. It was so gruesome, it had made the news at the time, but now things like that happen so often, that would certainly not make the paper nowadays.

Still, none of this explained precisely his motive for why he desired to keep a teen girl. An FBI Profiler may say it has something to do with his past, and that this is his way of totally controlling something (or someone) in a world where it is nearly impossible to entirely control anything. Or a cop may say that he did that out of desire for what is called 'on the shelf sex'. Meaning, it is there always whenever you want. But that wasn't him either, and still any random person may say he did it to show everyone that he can do anything he wants, whenever he wants or they would say he needed some other thing to obsess over to replace Batman. Kate had her own opinion on it. That perhaps he saw in her something that felt familiar and comforting to his long dead soul. Maybe he secretly enjoyed their time alone, and the only reason kidnap was involved was because he wanted her for no one but himself. The only reason he had allowed her to go home was because she was slowly turning into a mindless zombie, and it was clear he did not like that. Whatever his reasons, Kate could see a new wicked kind of excitement when he was around his obsession, and Emily was not unaffected by him either. She may have started sad, but to anyone watching, you could see how she thrilled at their arguments and even if she won or lost, she enjoyed their verbal sparring, as they were fairly evenly matched. Kate wondered if they would ever come to terms with how they felt about each other. Then she recalled how he said that Emily is never coming back. She wondered if he meant it.. Kate hoped he didn't. She really missed her young friend, it got very lonely around here, after all. And she truly loved Emily like a daughter, she just wasn't sure how to put it into words.

So deep in thought was she, that she was quite surprised when one of the object of her thoughts walked into the room she was in. Make up free, except for some red around the mouth, he appeared both rather tired and wild eyed at the same time.

After a moment of each studying the other, he slowly smirked and cocked a brow at her as he said, "Shouldn't you be, uh, out dealing with _pest_ control?" Referring to the escaped goons.

"No, because I finished that about an hour ago".

"Hm". He did not sound convinced.

She decided to change the subject to something that had been pressing upon her mind, "So, I was wondering if perhaps...if you maybe did not actually mean what you said about her... not ever coming back?"

His face was blank, expressionless. He crossed his arms, biceps straining against his green, long-sleeved shirt. "Who is 'she'?"

Surely he knew. "... Emily, boss"

Only the smallest of indicators to his rage showed; a slight narrowing of his eyes, clenched fists, and bared teeth. His voice remained the same high/low tone, "No, she is not coming _back_. I don't have any use for her anymore, _Katie_ ".

Kate's own eyes narrowed. "And what was her _use_ up to now?"

Something, almost so small as to be undetectable, passed through his eyes, then was gone in the next instant as his mood shifted to playful and he gave a yellow toothed grin. "She was a toy, a distraction while life in Gotham dragged by without Bats. And she gave me a brilliant idea for this city that has yet to play out completely! S _ooo,_ now that all her use has.. _expired,_ I let her go".

She didn't believe him for a second, "Then why not kill her instead of just letting her go?"

If his eyes looked black before, they were positively acidic now. And they were focused solely on her. "You would think", his nasally voice belied his anger, "tha _t_ after alll these years you would _know_ by now to _ne-ver_ question me about _anything_ that I do".

"What if she should be in danger of some sort? You would not care even then?"

"No _p_ e", he said, popping the 'p' as he said it.

She paused for just a moment before saying with utter surety, "I don't believe you mean that".

He turned his head to the side to look at her out of the corner of his eye as his smile grew wider, but only his right cheek was before her and it appeared that the scar was actually him smiling widely at her. "Agree to _dis-agree_ then, huh?"

That's it, he really is impossible to talk normally with. And no matter what he says, she was sure he cared for her in his own way. Maybe she should try a different tactic..

"Will you at least check the security cameras with me?.. To check on her at least?"

"Hm". He pretended to think as he cast his eyes to the ceiling. "I'm going to have to go with; _No_ ".

"Fine".

"Now don't go getting your nickers in a twist-. Wait, did you say 'fine'?" He appeared greatly confused.

"Yes", she replied calmly.

"Good, that's great then. Now we don't have to, uh, talk about it anymore".

"Nope. I'll just check them by myself". With that, she turned to leave, but, as expected, was stopped by his hand on her arm. She suppressed a smile as she turned back around in feigned confusion.

"I'm not comfortable with you around my stuff without me around, so I will come to.. _supervise_ you, m'kay?"

Kate shrugged. "All right".

She was very excited as she followed him down the hall and into the computer room as he booted them up; she just thought he may change his mind about her if he sees her again. They waited impatiently for them to start up, both impatient for different reasons... Neither could have predicted what they would watch during the next half hour.

Double homicide.

A kidnapping.

If The Joker was surprised, he did not show it- he simply stared at the screens filled with the Allen parents' corpses, seemingly in deep thought. Kate, on the other hand, was nearly beside herself with worry.

"We have to help her! And find out who did this!"

He looked over his shoulder at her, mildly annoyed. "Why?" he drawled.

"Why'?" She said incredulously. "Didn't you see what just happened? She was kidnapped, we have got to to help her!"

"You haven't answered me why we should help her", he sing-songed.

Kate was shocked. Why was he acting like this? "Because she matters to both of us".

He had the audacity to roll his eyes. "Have you ever thought, Katie, that this is just karma in the works? That maybe, just _maybe... S_ he. _Deservess._ It _-ah?_ "

"Karma? How does that apply? Why would she deserve it?"

He didn't answer, only stared at her with evil satisfaction glowing in his eyes.

"That's it? Are you really not going to help her?"

"Would you say that's something I'm known for?"

She sighed, defeated. "At least remember this.." He made a show out of looking over excited for her to continue; she squared her shoulders and narrowed her eyes in response as she finished, "in doing this, they took something of yours". Not waiting for his response, she left the room to find some way to help her friend..

...

This was the longest car ride of Emily's life, she was sure of it. And driving through these unfamiliar streets made it all the more disconcerting. It was late at night, she had no idea which was North or South was, and she was with two virtual strangers. The only thing that helped was that they were at least female, so the threat of rape was lowered, and that helped her nerves. If only a little. One annoying thing about them, however, was that when she would try questioning them as to who exactly this 'boss' was, and where on earth they were taking her, they would simply respond with 'you'll see'. Somehow, that wasn't at all comforting.. Escape attempts had proved futile as well, when she tried the doors at stoplights, they seemed to be on child lock. Only able to be opened from the outside. And so she really would have to stay in the car.

Throughout the entire ride, she tried her hardest to not think of her parents, especially her mom, because every time she did, her eyes would water, and it became nearly impossible to breath properly, and she ended up making a strange hiccuping noise as a result. Each time this happened, she felt Query's eyes on her from the passenger seat. Weather it was out of concern for her, or just checking to see if the prisoner escaped, Emily could not tell, and she quite frankly did not care. They could both die horrible deaths for all she cared. All she really cared about right now was what these people wanted with her. She could think of no logical reason for her kidnapping, or her parents' murder-

" _No. Don't you start thinking about them right now"_ , she mentally scolded herself. Right now, especially now she needs to be at her bravest. " _These people can do whatever they want with my body, but they cannot control my mind. Only I can. Remember, Em"_ , she evoked the thought that had helped her through many past troubles and fears from what felt like a lifetime ago, " _you are only as beaten or broken as you_ allow _yourself to be"._

She was rudely jarred out of her thoughts by a chipper, "We're here!" from Query.

"Yippee", Emily muttered unhappily.

As soon as she was helped out of the car by Echo, she glanced around for signs of other people nearby. It was getting to be very cold outside, and she was disappointed to find that as she could barely see anything through the rainfall, there was absolutely no one anywhere nearby. Not on the dim sidewalk, or anywhere in the dismal streets as they stood before a large, gray building. It could have been an office or a factory, she really couldn't tell as the three of them walked inside. It was dark in these white halls like something out of a horror film, it reeked of cleaning products, rat droppings, and stale food. They passed through a few doorways before going through a lone door that had a large stairwell on the other side and instead of going up, they descended down the stairs onto the lower level. Emily gave them no trouble as first off; they had guns, second; where would she go? and third; they had guns. She was too numb to worry over what would happen over the next few hours.

Finally, they were stopped before a large, metal door that- to Emily- seemed to be the most foreboding thing she had ever laid eyes on. It had a keypad on one side, and Echo's fingers quickly flew over the pad, and once she finished, its screen flashed red and green before the door slid slowly open to reveal another hall, this one shorter than all the others they had passed through, and lining the wall on each side were an assortment of weapons, only a few of which she knew the names of.

Query seemed hesitant to go forward at this point. "Echo, you deactivated the traps, didn't you?"

"Of course", she responded brusquely, and strode forward with Query following behind her with Emily.

They stopped before another door and keypad, and here Echo turned to Emily and said with extreme force, "You will not be disrespectful in any way, understand?"

Emily frowned angrily.

"Understand?" she snarled for the first time.

"Fine", Emily relented.

"For the sake of keeping your skin, you had better not be rude. The clown is not here to protect you anymore". That said, she again worked the keys, and the door opened to reveal a whole wall dedicated to computer screens with various images upon each one. From studying surveillance, to torture rooms and the gloomy streets outside.

Tearing her gaze from the screens, Emily focused on the two figures nearly cloaked completely in shadows near the edge of the room. The only light came from the monitors, and it was barely sufficient. From what she could make out, one was tall and thin, while the other looked like he was on steroids.

It was silent in the room as the five of them simply stood there surveying each other, when the thin one stepped forward and began to approach them. SHe recognized him instantly, Edward Nigma, or The Riddler. He was the very same as she remembered him; reddish hair, green eyes, smaller musculature than the Joker, and he was supposed to be a genius with riddles and puzzles of any kind. He had an arrogant look upon his face, and instantly she was irritated by him. Then the other man followed suit, and came to stand before them as well.

This man she was sure she had never seen before with his deep set, dark eyes, bald head, very muscled body with army green pants and a leather jacket on. And something strange...some kind of mask was over his mouth making it impossible to tell his expression underneath it. All in all, the muscled villain scared her much more than the Riddler, and it wasn't because of his stature, it was because you couldn't tell what he was thinking, or if he was angry or happy..and that scared her.

"Who..?" she couldn't get the words out, she was too nervous.

"That's Bane", Query said, even though 'Bane' could clearly hear them.

Hearing his name, Emily's fears somehow instantly lessened, and she actually had the nerve to snicker. "Bane, huh? What are you the bane of, exactly?" She laughed again, she couldn't help it. In the next second, she realized how stupid that was, and instantly quieted, horrified at her blatant disrespect. She may hate them all, but this was certainly not the time to show it.

When Bane spoke, his voice was deep and menacing, and she quivered upon hearing it, "Are you afraid, child? Do you perhaps wish the clown was here to help you?"

Surprising even herself, with her eyes cast to the floor, she nodded her head in the affirmative. Unlikely, though, seeing how they parted on such awful terms, she was beginning to selfishly regret that now.

"We appreciate the honesty", The Riddler's familiar, slightly accented voice spoke up, "because we are counting on his response".

"Why?" she questioned, confused.

"Because, my dear, we plan on.. how do I put it?... getting rid of the Joker for good".

Hesitantly, she looked up, and into The Riddler's evil eyes. "What do I have to do with that?"

His eyes gleamed with excitement as he stepped closer to her, and whispered menacingly so only she could hear, "You're here because I saw the way he looked at you the last time we were all together... And I do not think he could resist avenging your death".

Her eyes widened, horrified. They were going to kill her? When?.. _How_? She felt faint.. This had to be a dream. No, a nightmare. But looking into the Riddler's smiling face she knew this was not a simple dream you can wake up and escape from This was real, and she'd be lucky if she got out of this alive.

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 **A/N**

 **Don't worry, we'll get more of the villain motives in the next chapter. Thanks for reading! :-)**


	29. Chapter 29

**Disclaimer: read chapter 2**

Two black eyes stared back at him out of a face that others would call a monstrosity, but he found it to be a work of art. After all, what did the general public know about _beauty?_ They idolize the child rapists, hypocrites, terrorist supporters, and other sickos of this world just as long as they do something that others find to be 'admirable' from a petty point of view.

The Joker smirked privately to himself while reapplying his warpaint and going over these arguments in his head that only he could understand. But that was just how his brain worked; the psychologists over at Arkham may say they understand, but they could never begin to know the workings or anticipate the moves his genius mind may make. Sadly, that was just the way this world is. He could try to make them see the amazing joke behind each scheme, but they would not be able to see past their arrogant, selfish noses. Ah well, more fun for him, he supposed.

Finally, he was finished applying the makeup, and he straightened to admire the effect of his eyes glinting darkly, surrounded by black, with the white over his entire face, like a skull, he imagined, and of course his favorite; the scars. Glistening a ruby red against the white as if he had just sliced them open a mere moment ago. That was how he liked them, he flicked his tongue across his bottom lip, thoroughly enjoying both the feel and taste of it. Obviously, he was perfectly comfortable without makeup on as he found himself incredibly good looking, but there was also a comfort and delight he found in putting something on that showcased his marks upon his face, something that made them stand out beyond what anyone would expect, and that showed the world how proud he was in who and what he is: a psychopathic murderer, with no capacity for sympathy, or love. And he was completely fine with that. Ecstatic even. He would not have it any other way.

Stepping out of the bathroom, and proceeding to leave the bedroom, he adjusted his dark purple gloves over his hands s o they fit just right, then slid them back into the pockets of his coat of the same color. He paused in the hallway for a moment, deciding what needs to be done first. There were only a very few thugs left of his after the intruder _incident_ which still inspired a blazing rage within him whenever he dwelled too long on it. How dare anyone think they can just come in here, take something of his and get away with it? It was enough possibly send him on a killing spree, but not now. No, there was other things needing to be done. Then there was the news he could watch if he felt so inclined as to gaze upon his image as the media tried to dissect his every move and possible motive even as they themselves were in the middle of raging chaos. Ha! As if he had any clear cut motive for doing anything. So that was out. And Katie has not been seen since their little conversation a whole twelve hours ago.

Even as his thoughts turned to Kate, his eyes happened upon a cracked door on his right, directly next to his own room. His eyes narrowed, and he suppressed a growl as memories associated with the room surfaced within his mind. It was where he had first put Emily during her first few nights here. Standing before the ajar door, he looked inside for all of one minute and staring at the small bed, dirty window, and blood stains on the floor before a twinge in his stomach that was just intense enough to cause discomfort began to grow until he was forced to try placing this odd sensation; resentment. It stunned him that he could be feeling resentful, but of what? Then he understood that he was mad that someone was in _this room_. But why should he care? Then his previous train of thought returned to him, and as a result, he recalled the last words exchanged between himself and Katie; "they took something of _his_ ". Those words repeated themselves over and over within the dark caverns of his mind, bouncing against his evil thoughts, and even for the moment, silencing the raging voices in his head. They were so very true. No matter that he did not want her back, she was still his and would remain so until one of them kicked the bucket, and perhaps not even then. They were linked in every way but one. That was supposed to be rectified upon her return, but things had not gone according to plan in that department. Still, neither of them could deny the connection they had. And still do have.

Which begs the question that try as he might, he could not ignore; if she really is his and his alone, why did he let her go so easily and not care that she had been kidnapped by someone else? Of course, he assumed that the only reason these people would have for doing this was to get to him. There was simply nothing they could have against her as she surely could not have many enemies, knowing her. And he did know her. He knew very private things about her, almost as if they were a married couple. His cheek twitched in agitation at the thought. He knew her fears, joys, wishes, loves, and what was most important to her. He knew her temper, what offends or angers her, and how amazing she was at standing up for what she believed in and never backing down even in the face of extreme adversity. That last trait was something he found almost... _endearing_ about her. Along with her generally quiet nature and how she could get lost in a book for many hours, which was similar to himself; he could make plans for hours on end without the need for a respite. They were both stubborn, and fierce when they wanted to be. Her smile also, he had to grudgingly admit to himself did not require extended scars for it to be desirable. Slowly, while he took the time to go over the things about her that he liked; her smile, hair, eyes, body.. He found himself unable to think of anything he _didn't_ like about her on some small level. Admittedly, he was extremely angry about how she talked back to him and refused to return to Gotham with him the last time they met, but that was just her doing what she normally does; standing up for what she believes to be the correct decision. And is that so different from what he does on a regular basis?

"Well, thanks for the lecture, _mom_ ", he growled to himself before turning back around and slamming the door, not just on the room itself, but on the voices that told him he should help her. Voices he would try and ignore.

'Try' being the key word.

...

Her head ached horribly, as did her stomach and back, with a ravenous hunger that seemed to abate and then increase again with her unable to judge time as to when they started and when they ended, nevertheless burning in her gut so fiercely she would have given almost anything for a sandwich. And then there was the thirst. Far worse than mere hunger, this pain radiated through her entire body. From the stomach, to every joint, with a dry patch on the back of her tongue that refused to moisten no matter how much saliva she produced, and ending up in an intense headache that throbbed intensely with every move she made.

But those were just the beginnings of this nightmarish day of Emily's.

For there was something she had to cope with that was far worse than any real, tangible, physical pain. In fact, she rather considered the pain of her flesh to be a sort of release and helping to distract her from her thoughts. There were a few things in particular that she would rather not think about. One happened to be her parents.

hugging her arms around herself, as if trying to stay as small as humanly possible, she rocked back and forth where she sat against the wall in the large, conference-like room with none other than Edward Nigma across the room doing who knows what. She had heard his name in passing from the short amount of time she had spent there, and she felt it suited him; the name of an arrogant know-it-all who cares absolutely nothing for others. Yes, it did indeed suit him.

And as she rocked frantically to forget her parents gruesome death, she figured the true reality of it sinking in had been somewhat blocked and stifled by the adrenaline pumping through her veins upon awakening and meeting two very scary and intimidating men who were saying that they were going to kill her. But she could not bring herself t care about her possibly imminent death at the moment because she had to secretly admit- she was almost wishing to be reunited with her family again. They had only been together again for a short span of a few days! Why did it have to end like this?

For whatever reason, as she was contemplating these impossible questions, a face appeared in her mind's eye, one she had not been expecting to see, nor ever thought she would ever care about- it was the face of the same man who had threatened her life, her family's lives, and during the time she spent with him, he had made her life a nightmare, cliche as that sounds. No matter how hard she tried to not think about him in this moment, his face kept repeating through her mind over and over. The dark brown eyes, the strong jaw, the blondish wavy hair, and of course the scars, which could strike fear into even the most hardened of criminals. But to her, for whatever reason, she knew that had things been different circumstances, and she had met him in a normal kind of setting, and had he not been so horrible, she felt that the scars would not have been something that would scare her away. In her broken heart, she could feel that he was just a victim of circumstance, as we all were. And he surely used to feel something for her, but he just didn't know how to properly express it. She could remember his long arms around her, and remember the confining feel of them at the time, but now she felt they were more protecting than just confining. The eyes that once seemed so dark and menacing now held something else in her memory.

" _What is wrong with me?_ " she thought to herself despairingly, suddenly worried at the direction her thoughts had taken. Why now, of all the times when she should be most worried about herself, is she suddenly thinking of _him_ in a romantic sort of light? Not that it should matter, anyways, she had to sadly admit. All things considered, she recalled they had not exactly parted on friendly terms. And knowing him, he would probably not be over it by now, and she would likely be dead before they met again. It saddened her more than she was willing to admit, just how upset she was that they would never get the chance to start over. Sometimes, life just sucks, and there can be no rhyme or reason to it but you're still expected to pick up and keep going.

While she thought this over, the events from a few hours past flashed through her mind:

 _She had torn away from Query's grasp, and tried to reason with her captors. In hindsight, this was really stupid._

 _"But why me?" she pleaded with them, self preservation kicking in full force as the next words out came in a snarl. "No matter what you may think, he could not care about me to the extent you say that he does!"_

 _The Riddler's head cocked knowingly, and he seemed to be looking deep into her eyes for the hidden truth he somehow knew was there like a puzzle he was putting together in his mind. "And how do you know that, my dear?" he asked soft, and menacingly as if fighting to restrain an impromptu outburst. "I have seen the way he looks upon you, and how he speaks of you on the rare occasions he and I are together. It is certainly not love, to be sure, however I find him to be impulsive enough, and_ possessive, _" he said, drawing out the word slowly and watching Emily shiver fearfully before continuing with a slight smirk, "enough that he will respond in the manner we expect him to," he finished smugly._

 _For whatever reason, his words were more than she could take, and her eyes narrowed in response, and her lip curled slightly, her voice a deathly quiet tone, "He is the Joker. NOT some second rate criminal, or the mercenary you two pretend to be. He is intelligent where you are insane, he is strong where you are incredibly weak, he has a horrible temper that, when focused, is as much a force to be reckoned with as a raging wild fire!" she paused for a moment, then continued smugly, "And he always finds those who presume to thwart him. He finds them..then he kills them. So, I wouldn't be too sure about your stupid little plan"._

 _It was dead silent for a minute after that, and slowly what she just said dawned on her, and she froze in fear, horrified at the possible repercussions of what she just said. But looking back into his green eyes, all there was to be found was a sick satisfaction as if her outburst had just verified something for him._

 _Suddenly, his gaze broke from hers, and he said to Query, "Seat her over there, and leave us. It should not be long now"._

 _Emily shook as Query did what she was told and took her to the dark corner in the back of the room to sit her down, then leave with Echo and neither giving her a second glance. Leaving her to wallow in sadness, fear and self pity.._

She shook her head, coming out of her memory and wondering just how they were planning on murdering her. A gun to the head, drowning, electrocution, or worse, death by torture. It was easier, she found, to think of her impending doom as someone else's fate and not her own. But even that didn't stop her from burying her head in her knees and fighting back tears. There was nothing to live for now, and no possible way out of this. No one to save her, no one who cared. Except maybe supposedly the Batman cared about other people..but he hasn't been seen nor heard of for at least two years. And there was nothing for her to return to, either. Evidently, she had resolved that she would accept whatever fate befell her. Merely sit and do nothing, exist in this place without attempting to draw any meaning from the world around her. Was this how the Joker felt when he went from Jack to Gotham's most feared villain? She had once disagreed with his idea that all it takes is one bad day to utterly destroy who you are as a person. But now, she was beginning to think that maybe he wasn't so far off..

Her head shot up, and she placed her hands on the floor to steady herself as a violent thought came to her; she did not have to give up, she did have something, or someone to live for, there was a small ray of hope, and she was _not_ going to simply give up. She recalled the many weapons just outside the door to this room, out in the small hallway. Maybe, just maybe, she had a chance. She could watch the code as someone had to use it eventually to open the doors, and then..she would take her chances.

Staring at the doors, one thing became absolutely certain to her; she would try her hardest to escape, or die trying.

 **A/N**

 **Not super long, I know, but what can you expect since I've got a new job and working almost full time is not really conducive to a creative environment;)**

 **However, I do believe these next chapters will be out quicker, and I simply CANNOT WAIT to see what ya'll think of them!**

 **THANK YOU people that have added this to Alerts, Faves, Follows, and me to their Fave Author's list. It truly means a lot! I feel like you reviewers are just saying these things;)**

 **To answer a question; I have indeed considered writing a sequel among other new stories. But the sequel idea won't make sense until the end;) Until then, those of you in America; we will be all right. Our new president is not the best, but we are resilient and we've made it through much worse, it WILL be okay:) And to the rest of ya'll; see ya next chapter!**


	30. Chapter 30

**Disclaimer: read chapter 2**

 _Escape._

Such a simple concept, and yet so very complicated when you really think about it, and with so many variables involved, Emily knew she had to think this through as thoroughly as possible before making a move. But with hunger gnawing her stomach, and thirst making her head pound as if someone was banging it with a sledgehammer, it was difficult to focus properly without making some mistake that could lead to certain death, she knew. Still, she went over her options as best she could.

Firstly, yes- there were certainly a lot of weapons just outside that door that also held the promise of certain escape from here if she just knew the code to get through. She had been racking her brains to try remembering what the combination was that Echo logged in to get them in this room.

No luck, so far.

Speaking of a Riddler minion, she found it odd that no one has bothered her since she spoke with The Riddler. With Bane having left some time ago, no evidence of Echo or Query, and The Riddler himself had just left the room, and so she was completely alone to think and plan. She had been tempted to sneak unnoticed to watch the keypad combination next to the door as he typed it in, but she had been too afraid at that moment. It was a strange fear; intense, immobilizing, completely unpleasant, and also not altogether unfamiliar.

She knew this fear instantly, and the memories associated with it hit her like a freight train- it was how she felt just after meeting the Joker. To think, what seemed like a lifetime ago, she had been so eager to leave him and be able to go back home. Now, there was no home to go back to. She could clearly remember the fear she felt of his advances. It sent a mental shiver through her being. But now, she had to admit to herself...she actually preferred the comfort of his arms to this situation she now found herself in. Which begs the thought- does she just wish for him in this moment strictly because he is- in her mind- the lesser of two evils? For he surely is evil, she knew. But just how evil is he? Somehow, she felt that his actions were- on some strange level- justified. And the Riddler was more in the wrong, in her eyes.

That last thought nearly knocked her over. How can she think that after all that he has done? All he has done to her? Is this just Stockholm suddenly surfacing out of nowhere? She didn't have an answer for that. Nothing made sense anymore. Not her feelings, or emotions, not these interactions she has been having with notorious villains. Nor what is happening with Gotham City right now. When she had made her first major escape from the Joker, there was no Batman to speak of, no order in the city whatsoever, no police force and nobody with decent morals as far as she knew. And so, it certainly was up to her to survive this using her own mettle. From now on, there was truly no time for tears, or self pity, she has to remain strong and not think about any past relationships that were loved and since lost.

Ano even so, it was very hard to focus as her stomach had been emanating hunger pains in waves that didn't seem to have set times, just random, painful pangs. But another ache rocked through her in a different place. She clutched her heart as if in response to her thoughts, it was mourning for all she had lost. Which loved one she was most upset over, she could not say, she just knew that she would give anything...to be back in the old warehouse. Somewhere not surrounded by death like her now old home is. It was ironic, really. How can a place haunted by a murderer be, to her, surrounded in less death than her childhood home? It was a difficult thought to swallow, but she still felt comfort in some mementos associated with it. Kate taking care of her in her low times, a surprisingly comfortable bed, a little kitten she had been allowed to keep. And the memory of who exactly was the one to let her keep him made her smile just slightly..But no, she can't wish for even that. And how can she when she should despise the clown who practically rules Gotham? The answer was clear, however- she couldn't bring herself to hate anyone right now, finding she didn't have room for that. Only the room to really try focusing on one thing- survival. And now that she has finished letting go of her past, she was prepared to fight now for her future, or die a heroic death.

She had to scoff at that, though for she knew she was no hero no matter how much we all wish we could be the good looking, brave human being who swoops in to save all the people being threatened by some seemingly unstoppable evil. Maybe, she mused, it was just easier to give in to human nature and embody what we were meant to be; a person that is trying to survive in a world without rules. Someone who abandons all pretense of fake mercy and kindness and allows the world to see them for who the really are...Someone like The Clown Prince of Crime. Yes, she supposed, that for now it made sense to think like him in order to get out of here alive.

But this was such an absurd notion! She would have laughed if she had the room for such an emotion, however all she could muster was a dim acknowledging of the fact that this was a royally messed up situation all around. Still, it made sense to her that seeing as she may have to kill someone in order to escape, she had to take on the Joker's mentality to make it happen. Don't look at them as people, look at it as everyone acts selfishly to fulfill their self centered desires, some more violently than others, and she would just have to be the more violent type this time.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the main door to this room swinging open with an ominous rumble on account of its size, and Emily tensed in anticipation of who it could be and wether or not they were coming in to finally kill her. The two seconds felt like two eternities as she waited for the person to show. And when they did, and she saw the blonde hair, she instantly relaxed- it was only Query. And she was strangely carrying some sort of mysterious brown box as she approached Emily.

"Hey, how are you doing so far, Em?" Query asked enthusiastically, sitting down beside her and still holding the box that could contain anything.

Emily shifted away slightly, put on edge by the mysterious box, then Query's words caught up with her, and she couldn't help the glare she leveled at her new companion. _How's it going?_ she fumed. _Oh, I'm just pondering how I'll make it to see the next sunrise, my parents have been murdered, and I'm currently fighting off hunger and dehydration!... But other than that, just peachy._

But she didn't say any of that, merely a deceptively calm, but masking hidden frustration, "What do you want, Query?"

She seemed momentarily confused by the question, then understanding brightened her eyes and in the next instant she deposited the box she still held onto Emily's lap instead. "Just an afternoon snack for ya", she said flippantly.

Cautiously, Emily opened the box to find that it indeed was a harmless snack for her with string cheese, apple slices and a bottle of water.

Emily looked at her out of the corner of her eye, suspicious and asked with a scoff, "Is this really how you guys intend on offing me? With tampered food?"

Query seemed taken aback aback and she took a moment to respond, but when she did, her tone seemed to contain only transparent honesty, "No! I just thought you might be hungry.. It has been six hours since we brought you here".

Emily searched Query's eyes for the slightest dishonesty, but having found none, and figuring she needed her strength for her escape plans, she began eating slowly so as not to overwhelm her empty stomach. Who knew a kid snack food could feel so filling?

Once she had begun eating finally, Query went on speaking in a matter of fact kind of way, "Besides, I don't think that Mr. Riddler or Bane are planning on killing you just yet. They still have 'things'- they won't tell us exactly what they are, but I have an idea- that they still need to finish first. Did you know they are planning on taking over the media tonight to send some kind of message? I'm so excited for that! So basically"- she could really be a blabber mouth if you let her talk for as long as she wants- "they figure that your guy, The Joker, is top dog around here, even above them, believe it or not, and they can't get enough manpower into his many hideouts to off him, and besides, he's rarely at any of the ones we have found so far".

"Wait!" Emily interrupted, her meal momentarily forgotten, and Query looked at her expectantly. "He has multiple hideouts? Like, you guys never know which one he'll be at?" This was news to her.

"Yes, and not to mention, there's very few cronies of ours that would be willing to take on the Joker, no matter how well trained they are, he's too..unpredictable".

Another question occurred to Emily, and she voiced it next, "Whatever happened to...the Riddler and the Joker being..maybe not friends, but acquaintances? And where is the Riddler right now, anyways?!"

Query giggled lightly at that. "Oh, he and Bane are out making preparations. And ya know, Mr. Riddler and the clown were never friends, but Mr. Riddler is just really great at hiding it. Actually, he's been sore with the clown for years. Ever since he found out that people respect the clown more than they do him. Which I can't understand! I mean, the guy wears makeup and a purple suit! What if he's a cross dresser? And can one even be a super criminal? I don't think so". She paused for a moment, then she stared intently at Emily. "And even for all this, you still love him".

It felt like that instant in a horrible dream right before you crash into the other car, or fall off that building, or get stabbed by a faceless being repeatedly; utter numbness and denial right before the pain of waking up and facing your own dismal reality.

"W-what?" She stuttered out finally. But hadn't she said as much in her mind? Maybe so, but it was still quite a shock to hear aloud, and she tried fiercely to deny it.

Query smiled not mockingly, but genuine and knowing, "I saw how you acted when you got here and Mr. Riddler talked about killing him- you were almost beside yourself. Here I thought, months back, that you could never become as obsessed with him as he is with you".

"That's not true!" She snarled back. "I'm not in love with a psychopath!"

A lengthy pause before Query said softly, "Then why are you wearing his ring when he's not around to make you?"

This stopped Emily cold, and she had absolutely no response, so she just sat staring at the opposite wall while trying to ignore those words. Her very being rebelled against the idea. Her whole being, except for her heart that voiced something different.

She buried her face into her knees, warding off tears. They sat thusly for a number of minutes- Emily sniffling into her arms, and Query offering quiet companionship. Then finally, Query rose, and just when Emily thought she was alone once again, a hand touched her shoulder and she flinched slightly in response.

"It's all right", her voice spoke honestly and in earnest, "I understand. I love someone I shouldn't, too". Then she was gone with the door closing behind her.

Alone once again, this time the silence was nearly deafening to Emily as she sat clutching her stomach and trying to push away the thoughts planted there by Query. First off, now was not the time to dwell on things such as possible love towards another person, now was the time for survival. Not to mention, even if she did put some serious thought into this, it's not as if she has had a lot of experience with guys to begin with, she begrudgingly admitted to herself.

" _Besides",_ she thought sadly, " _I probably won't ever see him again after this is finally over, anyways"._

Why on Earth she should be sad over this, she wasn't sure, all she knew was that almost everything was confusing her and all she really wanted was...come to think of it, she didn't actually know what she truly wanted. Sure, escape was obvious. But where would she end up afterwards? Immediately recaptured, on the streets, or dead? And if the last should happen, what was there after death for her? She had just resolved to possibly kill someone just so she could escape and go back to living selfishly. After all, we all did bad thins on some level, so it begged the question in her mind; how could we all end up in the same place after death? Do we all deserve Heaven, or do we all deserve Hell? She had no honest clue. It was such a disturbing thought to think that she probably would have killed Query if it meant she would definitely escape. The thought nearly made her sick. Would Query deserve that, and how different were we all, really? were the thoughts running through her mind at the moment.

And with these thoughts, another occurred to her..what would she do if she again came face to face with The Joker? True, it may not ever happen, and even if it did, she truly was not sure. Despite the somewhat romantic feelings she felt towards him, she still didn't know. Would she cower in fear in remembrance of all his evil exploits, or would she run to him with open arms, finding a measure of comfort in their strength..? These ponderings actually made her head throb painfully just behind her eyes.

She reached a hand to rub her eyelids, and as her eyes opened again, they rose to look upon the opposite end of the room, and doing so, they happened upon something next to the monitors, something she had not noticed before...It was golden, straight, about three feet in length..it was a cane! She vaguely recalled the Riddler wielding it recently right after she was taken to this room, and meeting him for the first time. Why would he need a cane? He didn't appear to limp or have any physical impairments. In fact, apart from being on the thin side, he was in excellent condition. So why would he need it unless...

"Unless it's a weapon", she finished in a whisper to herself as she slowly rose to her feet. Her limbs were sore from sitting so long, and her stomach was still far from full, but it was now or never.

Reaching the place where it sat almost innocently, she was able to see what she could not before; a question mark at the top of it, and raised question marks of the same color all down the length of it. Yep, definitely Question Mark Man's toy. And because it was his, she was exceedingly careful in picking it up. As she did so, nothing appeared to happen that she could see. Then, a second later a sound emanated from it that nearly made her drop it right there as if it were a snake; a low buzzing hum filled it, vibrating her hand but otherwise not affecting her whatsoever. So it was most certainly a weapon, she just needed to figure out how it worked first.

Swinging it did a whole lot of nothing, pushing it into the ground was pointless, and it didn't seem to carry enough weight to be a good bludgeoning weapon. She was close to giving up and resigning herself to sitting down again for countless hours to await imminent death when one of her fingers pressed just right onto a tiny button near the top of the cane, and a prong-like thing stuck out the bottom popping with electricity. Of course, she couldn't be sure, but it looked like it packed a punch.

A slow, nearly indiscernible smile drew across her face as she beheld this. Now she was ready.

Her mind raced to think of what she should do in this moment. She did not once stop to wonder why it had been left here, she was busy coming up with a strategy. And as she did so, she contemplated something very interesting. That maybe, just maybe...this thing's electricity could disable the lock pad if she jammed it just right. Hey, it was worth a shot.

Dashing across the large room, and ignoring her aching muscles, she made it to the door in a mere seven seconds and stared, trying to figure out how to first lift the metal grate off of the actual keypad. Use the cane for that? Looking at it, it didn't seem like it would work for that. A chair from the table over by the wall? Yeah, right.

She sighed; it felt like she was back to square one with her plans of escape.

Closing her eyes, she inhaled slowly through her nose..and exhaled slowly through her mouth. And then repeated that until she could think clearly. Very slowly her fingers relaxed around the cane that still buzzed against her hand. This method of relaxation was possibly the simplest form of it there was, but it came from a memory of her mom, years ago, comforting her after she fell off her bike and telling her that it wasn't a serious injury, but she would need to calm down so that she could put a Scooby-Doo bandaid on it. After that, she and her mom had sat together for a bit, then her mom had taken her out for ice cream just for fun.

Emily's eyes snapped open, remembering why exactly she had resolved to, from now on, refuse to give up. No matter what.

With this extra spur of motivation, she worked her brains extra fast and hard to think of how to work this infuriating lock.

As she worked her mind, her eyes unthinkingly glanced all around her. Not really searching, more like her eyes were seeing something her brain was showing her at rapid speed. But once her eyes looked downwards, they caught on something glinting a very familiar dark purple. At first she stilled, thinking that surely it _couldn't_ be. but then, once her eyes finally focused, she realized that it was her ring that had been given to her so long ago. The weight of it used to feel to her like a shackle more than a sign of forever devotion. But now, it felt different. More a sign of comfort than of belonging to someone in that way.

It would seem odd, she speculated, that she had never examined it very thoroughly before now, but thinking over the character of the man who gave it to her...Let's just say it wouldn't surprise her if there were possible tricks hidden within its tantalizing depths.

Pulling it off, she simply observed it a moment; the large clump of pinprick sized diamonds, a large gem of a familiar purple color. Now that she had looked further at it, she did notice that the metal the jewels sat upon was incredibly thicker than necessary. Pressing her fingers all over it did nothing. It was beginning to look like she had just been jumping to conclusions when suddenly a gleaming, longish, silver spike shot out the side of the diamonds and remained there. This surprised her as she didn't count on him actually giving her a weapon. But then, maybe it wasn't so surprising seeing as she knew he looked at her as his, and if another man came onto her, he expected her to defend herself against it, whereas if she used it against him, being the masochist that he was, it wouldn't hinder him in the slightest.

Of course she would try using this as a lock pick. Not, that she has ever tried this kind of thing before.

But that doesn't really matter, because she has been left to her own devices for sometime, and someone is bound to come to either check on her or kill her. The latter thought making the hairs on her arm rise. And it helped her work faster as she slid the spike into the side of the keypad, and began wriggling it. Turning it clockwise while going up and down the keyhole, turning it counter-clockwise while going up and down the keyhole, neither worked. Admittedly, she was very slowly growing increasingly frustrated with this. All the fear of what will be done with her over the next few hours, all the anxiety over her entire situation that began months ago, all her sorrow grew until it compounded and she snapped, shoving the spike deep inside it and twisting at the same time, the grate soundlessly slid upwards so she was staring at the glowing green keypad.

Her negative energy slowly receding, she exhaled in a gust, muttering, "Piece of cake".

With that said, she hefted the cane, pressed the button upon it, and with the electricity popping, she thrust it deep into the keypad. Never having some this before, the zapping and sparked flying were not what she had been expecting. She made sure to stand as far back as she could while she waited for something to happen with the door. And when nothing changed for a whole minute, she drew the cane back out and stood in disbelief; she had been so certain this would work, but it seemed the only way out of here would be in a body bag. Or so it would seem, but as she stared at the blackened keypad, the door swung open just as it had every time before now.

Her heart leapt into her throat, and she nearly cried out in joy, only just stopping herself from doing so. There was no way, after all she had just finished doing, that she would ruin her chances by alerting everyone here as to her intent.

Stepping forward through the doorframe, dim lights flickered on in the short hallway, and she slowly stepped towards the only gun she vaguely recalled from an old tv show. She set the cane against the wall, figuring she would just need the gun for better protection. And picking it up, she slid her finger along the side to flick the safety off, and held it the way she felt was surely the right way, and hoped it was loaded.

Now she proceeded out into the hall, and with the choice of left or right before her, she thought that when she was brought here, it had been from the right. But of course this place was so vast, she may be a little off, but she was going to try her best to get out of here.

This in mind, she walked just a little faster than a regular walk. Not a run, and not fast enough to make her footsteps very loud. Never mind the fact that she wanted out of here as quickly as possible. She had to use her head right now, not just her survival instincts.

While she walked, she could feel the chill in the air creeping into her exposed fingers, her nose, ears, and even through her shoes to the tips of her toes. Which, as everyone knows, is highly unpleasant. It was also eerily quiet and still, she noticed. Hardly another sound in these gray hallways other than her own breathing and heartbeat. Altogether, it was highly unnerving. Like the calm before the storm.

She shook off this thought, and as she did, she saw the unmistakable white door that led to the stairs that brought her down here. As quick as she could without running, she made it to the door. Expecting, for some reason, for it to put up resistance, she was more than a bit surprised when it slid open soundlessly. Thus, knowing somehow that her time was almost up, she started up the stairs at a fast pace, taking two at a time. A little ways up, she became painfully aware of just how difficult it was to see anything at all on these steps. It was so dark. But then, just after noticing this, she became aware of another thing. A far more disturbing thing. A sound. From the stairs above her.

Because of the darkness, she had the uncomfortable feeling of being a lamb before the slaughter. She couldn't see, and she probably wouldn't be able to shoot accurately with plenty of light let alone barely any.

Still, she steadied herself on the stairs, lifted the gun, and waited, listening to the descending footsteps. Very light and faint, sure footed, but also sneaky sounding. As if this person did not want to be heard either..

And just as this occurred to her, the person came into view, a familiar person. But Emily was so startled by the sudden appearance, she shot unthinkingly, closing her eyes as she did so.

Just after the loud shot rang out, and had time to die down, her eyes opened suddenly, and she looked to make sure she didn't injure the other person. Once her eyes landed on the person, and she deduced they were all right, her face broke into a smile and she stepped forward to embrace this person.

She hugged back, and as they both pulled away, Kate said urgently, "Are you all right?"

Emily looked at her in utter disbelief. "Me? I just shot a gun at you, are you sure you're all right?"

Kate's smile fell and she made a face that said clearly, really? "I assure you that you could not have hit me aiming like that if you tried".

"Thank goodness for that", Emily breathed in response, clutching her heart. It was so good to see Kate again. But she couldn't think of her without thinking of him. "H-how", she wasn't sure how to ask what she wanted to, she cleared her throat before continuing, "how is he?"

Kate seemed to think over her words before speaking, and when she did, it was slow and halting, "Well, I can't really say... I've been gone for a bit, you see".

"Oh", her eyes fell. Then, something occurred to her. "But, then how did you find me?"

Clear mischief entered Kate's eyes. "Friends in high places, my friend". Then, her face betrayed her worry, and she grabbed Emily's hand to lead her up the steps with her. "We've gotta go. No matter how stupid Riddler cronies are, there's no way they didn't hear that shot". As if to prove her point, shouts rang out both above and below them.

Redoubling their pace, they ran full out up the stairs. Considering, Emily's much shorter height, and Kate having to compensate for it, their progress was not the best. Still, they climbed higher. And stopping on the landing just in front of the door they needed to get through, more shouts could be heard on the other side. Emily could see the worry on her companion's face was obvious, and so she quickly spoke up to make a suggestion, "Maybe we should keep going up, Kate. Maybe wait for them to look somewhere else?"

She could see Kate thinking it over, but not buying it just yet. So she pushed on, "Let's go. It has to be better than facing who knows how many of them head on!" Now it was her who grabbed her friend's hand and drug her up the stairs with her. Kate complied, and soon enough they were at the top of the stairs before a gray door. It must not have been that tall of a building.

Carefully, Kate pushed the door open and they stepped onto the roof of the building. They both stepped out together and surveyed the city around them. Dark, the only tones of color ranging from light to dark gray, thunderclouds the color of a deep purple bruise above the city, making it entirely impossible to tell what time of day it was.

"This doesn't feel right", Kate said quietly from beside her.

But Emily was too enraptured by the strange beauty around her to hear what her friend was saying. It had begun to very lightly drizzle, and it felt so good on her grimy skin. She was almost tempted to dance or sing for joy as she stood admiring this surreal feeling surrounding her. For the moment her fears and sorrows were forgotten. There was just her here, between the heaves and earth. Then, the moment was shattered. All of it happening so fast.

"Hey, Em. I think I'm going to try calling for backu-"

 _Bang!_

Kate's voice was cut off in an instant, and Emily whirled around in response to the gunshot. Instead of facing the killer, she looked down at her friend who's middle had a scarlet red liquid seeping over the entirety of it and creating a pool around her.

Emily felt sick. Rushing over, she knelt beside her friend to see the damage. It was enough for her to be sure that there was no saving her friend from death's cold embrace. And without lifting her head, she raised hate filled eyes onto a man standing before the door to the roof, and holding some small gun carelessly on his side. Obviously, he had simply killed the immediate threat, and probably had orders not to kill her...yet.

They stared, sizing each other up. She had no gun, she must have dropped after accidentally shooting at Kate. And even as he stared at her, she knew this was looking worse and worse for her. Then he began walking towards them, and she froze in complete fear despite her anger. Glancing around herself quickly..she saw..Kate's gun..at her lifeless hip.

...Slowly..out of the sight of the approaching danger...she unhooked the weapon.

...Unthinkingly, she raised it to chests level while the man was still twenty feet away.

...She could make out a smirk upon his full lips; it fueled her anger all the more.

...Not even giving herself time to talk herself out of it...

She pulled the trigger.

...With the same bang that rang out just moments ago, leaving this man's head spouting blood, and he falling onto the ground...

Dropping the gun, her senses and more accurately, her morals came back to her as all she could think was, _what have I done?_ She slumped forward and rested her head on Kate's chest. Not crying, but in utter shock.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when a hand was placed on the side of her arm. She flung herself back and looked at Kate to see her eyes roving unseeingly in their sockets.

A very faint; "E...Em.." A cough.

Quickly, she clutched her cold hand, and squeezed. Not receiving a response just made her clutch all the tighter. "Yes, I'm here. I'm right here. You're gonna be ok. I promise you".

Finally, Kate's eyes finally seemed to rest on her friend's and peace drew across her face. "I...it's...m'kay..I-I know..I haven't got much...time..left".

"Don't talk like that. You will be ok", Emily said even though it seemed that this was more her trying to assure herself at this point.

"I haven't got much time left", she repeated, seemingly not hearing Emily. "So..I want you to know..." Emily leaned closer, catching her friend's dying words. "That..I hope you...find...happiness" the last word was hardly discernible. "And that you...don't..fight...it".

What? "Fight what?" Emily asked desperately, her throat constricting with oncoming tears. "What do you mean?"

There was hardly any light left at all in her friend's eyes now, and there was peace written on her face. Over time, slowly her hand fell limp with her last four words; "I...hear...bells...," then a very faint, whispered; "Henry".

Henry...it was familiar. Then it struck Emily, and she gave a choked sob as she remembered; it was Kate's husband's name who had left her sometime ago.

The next hours, days, weeks, she didn't know, but they were torture. She had sat by her friend's side during the hours after she had fallen asleep and then stopped breathing with a final rattling breath. Emily couldn't help the feeling that all these deaths were her fault and that she should be punished for what she has done. She couldn't even bring herself to hate the man who had killed Kate. Because she had, in turn, killed him. And it just went around and around in an endless cycle of death or survival. She couldn't handle that she had been the cause and reason for so much death, but she could not escape it no matter what she did. She knew, these faces would haunt her until the day she too died.

This was what she had been thinking for who knows how long, when a throat was cleared directly in front of her.

"Go away", she sniffled. The person remained silent. "I said, go away! Leave me alone. I don't have anyone, can't I just grieve in peace?...I don't need anyone". The last sentence was said in a mutter.

There had been many voices she may have been expecting to hear, but the one that sounded was definitely not who she expected in the slightest.

"Oh, really?" The nasally, shifting voice said from a mere few feet away.

Her head shot up and her eyes widened, immediately she wondered if this was a trick her eyes had conjured out of the blue just to mess with her. There was no way he was here.

But even as she looked, she knew her imagination could not so easily and accurately produce that bright, vividly colored suit, or the glistening make up colored face with ruby red puckered scares, wide lips, deep brown eyes surrounded in black, the stark white of the face, the curly greenish hair, or the hunched shoulders. Surely...he had to be real.

Very slowly, as if he were a true predatory animal, she got up from her kneeling position, -her muscles stiff and aching but easily ignored- and cautiously approached him. Just because she was, to an extent, happy to see him, that didn't mean she had forgotten to be as careful around him as possible. Especially as she didn't know how she would be received considering their last meeting.

Now standing just two feet in front of him, she was reminded of the lateness of the day; it was so very dark now the only light coming from the distant city lights. And she was also incredibly aware of just how tall he was, and how short she was. As she craned her head back somewhat to look him in the eyes, she finally whispered her thoughts to him.

"It's you", she said, disbelief coloring her tone all the way through.

He raised a black painted brow in a challenge, though his visage revealed nothing. "Were you expecting someone else? Are you, uh.. disappointed?"

"Is it really you?" She couldn't stop herself from asking despite the slight menacing lilt to his voice. Just to be certain.

His black eyes narrowed slightly, and he licked his lips once, quickly. "Who else?"

She exhaled in a silent squeal of joy, and not caring for the consequences, flung her arms around him...and stood embracing him.

Having been on the freezing roof for hours, she was reminded just how hot he was as she clutched onto him tightly. It was like standing close to a furnace. Not surprisingly though, she couldn't bring herself to pull away from it as her face pressed against his thin chest. She didn't care if he responded or not, she just wanted this comfort for a few minutes more.

Shocking her however, she felt his left gloved hand slowly slide up and down her back in the lightest of touches.

At first, it would seem she had rendered him speechless, then he did finally speak, with an amused chuckle, "Should I go ahead and assume that you missed me after all?"

Not even thinking, she nodded against him, and heard a rumbling laugh from him in response.

"You know.." He said in a thoughtful voice, still rubbing her back. "I gotta say", he spoke in a thoughtful tone, "nice shot".

Her muscles tensed, and he stopped rubbing in response. "I...I didn't want to have to do that".

After a second, he snorted derisively, and put his long arms around her, for which she had never been more grateful.

"So what? It's done. What's the point of focusing so much on it? Live a little! I'll have you know my first kill was..exhilarating".

"I'm sure it was", she whispered.

Feeling him nuzzle her hair sent goosebumps all the way down her back. "I'll tell you a little secret, just between us, my dear". He paused, then moved his mouth to the side of her head to speak so no one else would hear despite the fact they were totally alone, "I missed you, too".

She truly didn't know how to feel about that, so she gave nothing in acknowledgement, and just let him sway them lightly side to side. This did not mean she loved him, she was simply taking comfort form where she could get it. Sad as it was that it came from a psychopath. Still, she wasn't about to complain.

Suddenly, he halted. His muscles tensed and even his breathing halted; it felt as if she was being pressed against a brick wall. And his hands slowly clenched on her arms.

She put her hands on his chest, which took some work as she was being pressed so hard against him. But she did, and she pushed lightly. "You're hurting me. Please.. let go".

"Let her go". A gravelly voice full of authority spoke from directly behind her. She tried twisting her head to see, but she was no owl, and so the feat proved to be impossible given her position.

"Ah", the Joker spoke finally, his voice going from being filled with open malice, to a high, innocent playfulness within seconds. Both, she knew were not good. "the masked rodent has thought it finally appropriate to grace this city with his, uh, much needed presence. And not only that, but he's actually decided to visit me first! Can I just say that it took you long enough? Have trouble with your old detective kit?"

"Enough games", he responded even more gravelly. "She doesn't have to be a part of this. It's supposed to just be between you and me, right?" There was the slightest of pleading notes to the voice now, and it was not lost on the Joker.

A high pitched, hyena laugh was his first response which rang in her ears, then; "Oh, Batsy, you think this lovely thing here" he squeezed even tighter to emphasize who precisely he was referring to even though really who else could it be? then he continued in a highly amused voice, "couldn't possibly be with me because she _wants_ to? Hm?"

The response was quick and gruff, "No".

She could tell that that agitated The Joker slightly, but he still slowly released her so that she was standing right before him with his arm over her shoulders possessively. "You think so, huh? Well, why don't you ask her yourself. I don't ex-actly have a use for her, anyways. So go ahead; take her". With that, his arm withdrew, and he crossed them over his chest and finally looked at her expectantly.

After giving him a confused look, she hesitantly raised her gaze to whom she assumed to be Batman. And indeed it was him, in all his caped, cowled, black glory standing not eight feet away. It was already so dark that she couldn't see his eyes at all in those black holes upon his mask, but she still got the distinct feeling he was looking at her.

"Well?" The Joker asked impatiently. "Do you need help or not?"

Then it hit her; now was her chance if she truly wanted an escape from all the chaos and horror of the past months. There would be no more death, no more fear, no more worry...and no more Jack.. She didn't know what she wanted exactly from life, but she knew that she didn't want to spend it away from him.

That in mind, and for some reason giving the Batman an apologetic look, she withdrew to stand by The Joker's side. She could imagine his smug look, but she wasn't looking at him, she was looking at the Batman who was staring right back at her.

"I would say that answers that, wouldn't you?" The Joker said with false innocence.

Batman looked as if he was about to punch him in the face, so Emily quickly spoke up as she recalled what Queey told her earlier, "Wait! The Riddler, and Bane have some sort of horrible plan for this city, trust me! You have to stop them tonight before anything happens".

"How do you know this?" He asked her softer than how he'd addressed the Joker.

She swallowed, hoping he would believe her, "I just do.. Please, this place needs you. But I dont".

She could feel his eyes boring into her even if she couldnt see them as the Joker spoke again, "Better hurry along, Bat-man. Looks like you've got bigger fish to fry".

She watched Batman's head snap up to stare at The Joker for a long minute before he spoke in a voice that was close to the vocal noise that a bear makes when in heat, "I will find you again, and I'll help her through whatever you've done to her". he promised.

The Joker's amusement was almost palpable. "I can only hope".

And with that, he was gone right before ever very eyes. She didn't know how he left so quickly and quietly but she wasn't about to voice her thoughts. He simply...disappeared into the darkness behind him.

Then an arm was around her shoulders as the man beside her repeated words from so long ago, "What. A. Day". And his eyes looked down at her as she looked up at him. "Let's go home, huh?"

Her heart quivered slightly in response to the words, but as they approached the door to the stairs, she stopped suddenly and asked, "But weren't there guards down there?"

He raised a brow. "Yeah..there _were._ What's your point?"

She smiled slightly, and said, "Nothing".

Leaving the roof, she couldn't bring herself to be upset over that response. Somehow, it didn't surprise her..

 **A/N**

 _The End_

Haha, just kidding;)!

Have I recommended the Dark Knight fanfics on my fave stories list? Because you guys should read them! They're so great!

This story has one other arc to go through and I really really really hope you guys liked this chapter; I worked super hard on it, and...I WANT TO HEAR YOUR THOUGHTS!:D

Thanks new guest reviewers! Thanks so much Wuli:) your reviews truly made me try extra hard so you would (hopefully) be pleased.

Thank you all! Please enjoy this and tell me what you think, maybe even brainstorm how you think it will end!

Best wishes!


	31. Chapter 31

**Disclaimer: read chapter 2**

 **My deepest apologies for the long wait. Name any excuse in the book; My job, my family, my life in general...yep. But now I am back, and ready to go.**

 **Thank you, my amazing reviewers. I love each of your reviews- they inspire me every day to do better and better. Thank you all that have faved and followed this story, you make me feel like I am actually halfway decent at writing.**

 **We are nearing the end of this unconventional love story. If anything didn't make sense in past chapters, it will begin to now, if there were questions yet unanswered, they will be (hopefully) now beginning to get answered.**

 **It will not end in any way you may expect, and possibly not the way some of you want it to, but I have envisioned this story for years, and this is how I saw it unfolding, and also Emily is based [loosely, mind you] on a dearly departed friend of mine, and on her life story.**

 **Now, let us begin telling the final parts to this story.**

Oh...this was just too delicious. Too wonderful. Too jaw dropping. But above all; too hilarious.

Surely he was dreaming. This can certainly _not_ be real life, he was sure of it.

But it was, and The Joker was enjoying every minute of it as his dark eyes greedily took in every picture in every frame on the television screen that was showing anything to do with Gotham City's Dark Knight. He had never thought that, after three. _Whole. Years._ that the Batman would resurface again. It still felt too good to be true. To see him now on the news again, to hear his growling voice not even a week ago, and not only that, but to be standing face to face after all these years and then the Batman just letting him go even after all the trouble he had caused both the city and him...Ha! What sweet pleasure it gave him to see this forsaken city's _protector_ letting go the very being who had been...somewhat..responsible for his disappearance, and for making the city truly hate the flying rodent in the first place. It didn't even matter to him _why_ Batman would suddenly reappear, all that mattered was that he was here. Even if it somehow did not feel the same as it used to..

The Joker began to snicker to himself from where he sat on a chair in the front room of the warehouse, surrounded in utter darkness and watching the news on an old tv that was probably from the late 1900's, but still got the job done when he needed to take a peek at the news. Who really _needs_ nice things, anyways? He had always speculated that the only people in the world who actually needed fancy things to get along in life, were the ones who constantly needed verification, and were insecure inside. The rich liked to act like they were somehow better than everyone else simply because they had more green paper coming out of their butthole than the average person. But that meant nothing to him.

Because of course, he had been offered large sums of money from many a hostage begging for their life, but what would he need that for? All the things that struck his interests, after all..were very cheap. And besides, anyone can _become_ rich, because pretty much everyone can get a good job and _work hard_ , and eventually get to a decent place if they put their minds to it. Everything in life somehow revolved around that...green...paper. Something he would never understand. And those that had more of it, typically acted as if they were better than everyone else. But here's the thing; having nice things, and loads of money does not make you a _good_ person, no no no... because nothing does! Everybody is the exact same person when you strip everyone down to the bare basics. If some 'kind', homeless, dirt poor human was out there on the streets one day, and then the next day they were ultra rich, what do you think would happen? Well, that once kind, poor person would, over time, only end up becoming a conceited bastard who only looks out for himself and slowly makes everyone around him hate him with a fiery passion. Hate him until all they want is to drive a knife straight through his heart, or a bullet through his head. Don't you see? In the end..we are all the same.

His laughter had risen with the direction his thoughts were taking. To the point where he was now currently leaning forward, and clutching his side with one arm as he heaved for breath from the force of his manic laughter. It was so very quiet in this place, and there was hardly anyone in the actual building as he had killed quite a few over the last few months, while some that were left, disappeared, and only a couple, if any, remained. And speaking of other people around, he completely unthinkingly looked over his shoulder _almost_ hoping to see another another person who he knew was somewhere around here. The last place he recalled having seen her in was their room. And that had been quite a few hours ago. Since he reclaimed her nearly a week ago, a lot had happened in regards to Gotham itself. Batman had not been idle these past few days as he helped the GCPD get back on its feet, capture many of the criminals still wandering the streets, and overall do his regular routine. He still had not found the Riddler, which brought the Joker no end of amusement, I mean, how hard could it be to catch that man? The guy dresses like a bright green neon sign! Nothing like the Joker's refined style of dress.

But speaking of all that had happened, he wondered not for the first time, why Emily was so..and for the first time in his life he couldn't even find the right words to use. She had simply changed somehow since the first time she came here all those months ago. He was not entirely sure he liked it apart from how hysterical it was seeing the Batman on that rooftop and how he had no choice but to allow a defenseless girl leave with his nemesis. To tell the truth, not even the Joker himself had expected that. Yes, at the time he did put on a false bravado and acted as if he knew she would come even though he suspected she might not. He even had a plan in mind if she took that course. But for whatever reason, she came.

Despite the fact that she was now acting so strange, he still had to acknowledge that this could be the first time since his childhood that any being, man or woman, had ever _voluntarily_ spent any amount of time with him. Not that he had ever cared or even given it a second thought before, but now that the opportunity was presented to him on a silver platter..He couldn't help the feeling of satisfaction within himself. She had so many things that he actually liked about her, which was, needless to say, far more than anyone else he had ever come in contact with in his lifetime. He would admit to himself, never to her, how he admired her tenacity and bravery when faced with a challenge, the way her eyes would blaze in a similar way as his when she argued with him. It set off something inside him that has not been triggered by anybody for nearly two decades. Something that had only been fed and quenched by the release he felt when each of his plans would come to fruition, or whenever he was faced with the opportunity to feel someone's blood flowing through his gloved fingers, and seeing it drizzle down and seep into the cracks in the floor as the life faded from their eyes. There was simply nothing that came close to it.

Until she came along.

This sudden urge as he thought of her was very strong, though certainly nothing he couldn't suppress if he wanted to. But he didn't want to. In this moment, he wanted to see her, to feel her... _to hear her._ In what ways, he wasn't entirely certain. He just knew that those days she was gone, felt somehow longer even if he wouldn't admit it. And now that she was here, there was nothing he felt that he really wanted anymore. If only she were actually by his side, and with him right now, because otherwise, what's the point of her being here if she is not _with_ him? Even if she has been and is acting strangely, maybe she has changed in these past hours. Besides, it's not like he has anything better to do, and It's not that he is thinking of her all the time. In fact, his thoughts towards her have changed as he has known her, it is simply that he enjoys her company far more than almost any other person. Batman, excluded of course.

Stretching his long, thin legs and then his back, he stood to leave the room, pausing only to quickly scoop up his purple jacket from the chair he had placed it on. Not bothering to put it on over the blue hexagonal shirt and green vest he was currently wearing, feeling far too overheated as a result of his current excitement he strode confidently through the very dark, twisting hallways of the warehouse. It is certainly never the dark or the monsters in it that would end you, it is always the monsters of the mind that could undo you. They were always far more capable of crippling you. And he had quite a bit of experience with that.

By now he was before the bedroom door. And pausing only a second, he fixed his tie, then pushed the door open to find the room pitch black. Flicking on the switch, his eyes took a minute to adjust before he realized. . .He did not see her in here. Striding forward, while he was not worried, he was definitely annoyed; where was she? He wasn't sure it would be a pleasant sight if he were to find she had left him once again. His gloved fingers clenched, the leather squeaking as it was being squeezed together. It had been awhile since he had felt true anger, and now that he was once again, it was like a kind of high that effected and messed with his thoughts.

Growling quietly to himself, he turned back around out the door, and into the hallway to think about where she could be since he was obviously not about to let this go. That was when he noticed something; the door to the room next to his was cracked open ever so slightly. Why would that be? He had not opened it recently, and nobody was stupid enough to go in there without asking. And besides, the only people who frequent this particular part of this place were himself, and. . .Ah.

Realization dawned, and he approached the door, casually opening it to reveal..almost nothing of interest. Until, his dark eyes rested on the smallish mound underneath the covers upon the small bed by the wall.

He frowned slightly in genuine confusion as to why she was in here and not in the actual bedroom. To be fair, it was pretty late in the night, but he didn't want her sleeping apart from him- he wanted her beside him. She had not seemed that afraid of him anymore now that she was back. Perhaps cautious, but not at all truly afraid, and she would have to be incredibly dense to not exercise caution when dealing with him. But maybe he was just kidding himself- maybe she wasn't actually as comfortable with him now as he had originally thought. No, that can't be, he didn't believe that. For one thing, he prided himself on being quite good at reading people, and that is not what what he had discovered when he watched her lately.

Deciding he would ask her why she was here instead of simply speculating, he stalked almost completely silently over to her, and then plopping down unceremoniously to sit up against her back that was facing him. When that didn't wake her right away, the smile upon his lips slowly fell and he placed a gloved hand o top of her shoulder. Giving it a squeeze and then shake, he leaned forward over her still form to whisper in a sing song, nasally voice, "E _milyy_ ,... wakey wakey".

Out of nowhere, her breathing quickened until she bolted upright with a wild gasp and scrambled backwards until she was fully facing him with her back to the wall, looking around herself with bleary but alarmed eyes, until they finally rested on him, at which point her breathing slowed and she calmed slightly despite the fact that he could still see small tremors going through her clenched tight arms and legs.

Almost without him even willing it, a large, wide smile crept across his ruby red lips. There was no way this was good for her, despite how exhilarating it was for him to witness her fear- of him, he presumed. But still, much to his chagrin, he knew he had to at least try to get her to calm down if he wanted her to remain healthy. Thus, he made an effort to give her what he thought was his least menacing and instead more charming smile.

"Easy, li _tt_ le girl.." his mouth clicked when pronouncing the 't'. He continued with an unintentional, but very second nature, dark tone to his voice, "Did I _frighten_ you?" He ever so slightly tilted his head inquisitively.

Swallowing shakily, she looked down, avoiding his eyes. Limp, curly hair falling over her face as she responded with a small shake of her head, and a whispered, "No. It wasn't you".

As her head was lowered, she didn't see him quirk his brow in suspicion at her words, but she did hear him "Hm" in a thoughtful sounding way. She hesitantly peeked up to see him looking at the ceiling in contemplation as he said, "Must be losing my touch, huh?"

When she did not immediately respond, he looked back down at her to find her eyes still glued to the fabric of the blanket upon her lap. Growing a bit annoyed at being ignored, he grasped her chin, making her jump slightly in response. Looking intensely into her eyes, he asked her what he had originally come in here to question her about; "Now... care to tell me exactly why you are in here instead of with me, hmm?" Raising his black painted brows, and squeezing her chin, he was struck suddenly with desire as he gazed into her light brown eyes. Leaning forward, he breathed his next words in her face, "Are we starting this over again, _sweethear **t**_?"

Confusion was evident through the numb look on her face, and she managed another shake of her head despite his grip on her jaw which he relinquished after her response. Scooting closer to her, he noticed her shift in response to his movement. But there was something odd about her reaction to his movements as it wasn't a fearful response, more of an unsure one- as if she didn't know exactly how to act around him anymore for some unknown reason.

"I-I'm not...afraid..I'm just." She seemed unable to find the right words to say what she wanted to.

"Just..?" he pried.

Her eyes were watery when she finally raised them. Agonized and confused. "I just miss Kate".

It sounded so pathetic the way she said it, and it ignited no sympathy in whatever was left of his heart, it did however annoy him somewhat. And not only was he annoyed by that, but he still suspected that she wasn't telling him everything there was to tell. And as he stared at her, he noticed for the first time how thin she has become. Frail and thin when she used to be stronger in spirit and body, and- in his opinion- as close to perfect as there was when it came to humanity. But as she was now, so very sickly looking, he felt something he had not felt before; like a flicker through his soul, or a pinprick sized burst of light like the quick and tiny flash of a shooting star through a moonless, black night sky. As it was passing, then he placed it; worry. He had actually just felt some small degree of. . .worry for her.

This did not, in fact, soften his next words for her. If anything, her confession and lying angered him beyond the point of rational thinking.

"You..just..miss _Katie_?" His eyes were positively acidic as he stared her down. "See, I don't really be-lieve that, Em. And I may not know precisely _why_ you are lying to me", he glared at her as he said this, and leaned closer as his voice hardened and grew darker into more of a growl, "but I do know this; I could kill you for it. Right now. Without another though _t_ and I would like-lyy sleep just fine tonight".

"Then why don't you?" She asked suddenly, looking deep into his eyes.

For once, he was the first to look away. While he stared straight ahead, his only movements were drumming his gloved fingers on the bed, she began to think he would not answer. Then; "Because I can't".

She was so shocked, there was no way she could have formed a response; his voice sounded the most human she had ever heard it since first hearing it on the news what felt like an eternity ago. Finally, he turned his head, but only barely, to better look at her out of the corner of his eye.

"I will never be able to actually kill you. I have, of course, done things considered by society to be completely heartless deeds". He seemed to be suddenly suppressing laughter as he said this, then turned more serious as he continued, "But despi _te-ah_ their belief that I do not have a heart, I do...", he smirked in the darkness, "...it just happens that my heart has a certain _affinity_ for things that others may not". He chuckled in genuine amusement.

Still unsure what to say, she waited for him to continue if he was willing. When he didn't seem to want to speak anymore, she asked her own question that had been niggling her mind for sometime, "Now that the Batman is back", his eyes immediately fixed to her face; she looked down and continued in an almost hopeful voice, "are you..maybe..done doing what it is you normally do?"

A positively devilish smile broke across his face. It was so wide he could _feel_ where the scars on his face were stretching until he wondered if they might tear and add some red to the already glistening lips. He answered with one just one word, sometimes that was all you needed; "Never".

The hope in her eyes faded away, and he wondered at that. For some reason he felt the need to add more. Not explaining himself-he never answered to anyone- simply elaborating on what he just said. "What would be the point of that, hm? These people would never learn anything if they didn't have me to spice things up a bit, and there will never be another city like Gotham. A city that let's me tip it upside down and rip it to shreds, and where no one will lift a finger to stop me... aside from my somewhat worthy opponen _t,_ but even _he_ cannot stop the inevitable. We are so alike, he and I..we both wear masks to hide our true selves, sure it's for different reasons, but still, we fight for something we believe in unlike so so so many people in this world who take up what the masses believe, without question, and follow like blind _sheep-ah._ The Batman, despite fighting for something that will never be saved, at least fights for something".

"Isn't that the point, though?" She asked with sudden conviction.

He cocked his head, curious as to the reason for her sudden passion. "What's the point?"

"That we never know for certain if what we are fighting for is worthy, or attainable, or even wether it is stupid or not..All we know at the time is that we want to save that person, but we do not know yet if they _can_ be saved, or if they even want to be. Is life in a cage a more fair sentence than death? We cannot know for certain. We just know what our wants are, and whatever drives us, misguided or not, it is what drives each of us individually, and the many great deeds in this world were faced with fierce adversity and strife, but they persevered despite when others told them it was absurd and ridiculous".

His brow raised, mildly surprised, but not yet showing it. "Then how do you know if what you believe is the right thing to believe?"

That got her thinking as she looked down at her lap. Then she began in a whisper, "You just have faith, I guess. The short and boring answer would be that maybe if you just use logic and good reasoning, then you will make the right kind of choices..but some things are so much more complicated than that".

"Such as..?"

The more he pried, the more...embarrassed she seemed get, which fascinated him. "I..can't really say.. Love, I suppose it is very complicated.. I mean, well, why do you do what you do?"

He smirked, and responded huskily, "Because I can".

"Oh, I see". She looked away again.

"Is there a, uh, _problem_ with that?"

It seemed that she was at war with herself on how to answer him, but finally she spoke in a pained voice, "I just don't understand. I don't even know what's right or wrong anymore".

"What's wrong with that?" He scoffed, rolling his eyes. "There is no _evil_ or _good_ road to take in life, because face it, we allll do what is considered as 'evil' things at least once in our lives, so there is no entirely good route, either. Society applauds bullies as long as they conform to a _certain image,_ and they shun anything different if it does not con- _form-ah_ to a specific group, they beat down new ideas and stick only to what is the _norm_ and familiar to them. Who would want to be a part of that? You should come up with your own ideas of what good and evil is instead of letting society decide for you, got it?"

She had been so shocked by how reasonable what he was saying was that it took her a moment to realize that he was waiting for a response; she hastily nodded.

"Good", he purred quietly. Suddenly, he took a glance at his golden pocket-watch. "Well, it seems that I need to get going, but don't worry", he said with an almost charming wink, "I'll be back soon".

She watched as he rose from the small bed, and strode out the door trying to tell herself there was no way he could know what was going through her mind the entire time he was here, and has been plaguing her ever since they got back from the Riddler's hideout. And how could she ever tell him? How would he respond? Would he kill her, or respond in kind to her? For all the months she has known him, she never knew just how to interpret the few clandestine glimmers of _real_ emotion in his face, or if she thought was a real emotion was actually just an act. . .just one of many.

It was all so frustrating! Half of her wanted desperately to tell him, if only so that someone else would be able to share in the weight of this dark secret she held. And yet, the other half of her shunned the very thought of him becoming aware of this truly terrifying part of her. Surely, she was sure, there had to be something very wrong with her. There had to be some way she was wrong about this. Maybe, perhaps she was confused about her feelings.

Because, certainly..no sane human being could ever love an evil murderer.

Her breath escaped in a rush; there it was. She, somehow, inexplicably, inconceivably, found it inside herself that she loved The Joker..or Jack as she referred to him in her heart. It had taken her some days to determine and sort out every mixed feeling she had towards him. She did not- could not- blame him for her parents' deaths, or Kate's for that matter. There were few problems in her life that she could outright blame him for, and she would never back down to him if it ever came to something she truly cared about. But despite all that, the question remained in her mind: How could she love a killer? Someone who was supposed to be fundamentally evil and could feel no love or remorse. How could she set herself up for something like this? What was good evil, life and love based on, anyways? Are they something based at the root in some kind of spirituality, or just as simple as a feeling inside each of us, like a conscience, that we can individually either choose to acknowledge or ignore? All this time she wondered if these conundrums she had speculated on would ever be answered. There was no one for her to ask. There was just the silence, and her own thoughts that were available to give any sort of answers. But then of their own volition, they raised quite a few as well.

Deciding it was unlikely she would receive any answers, especially not ones she was looking for, she got up herself from the bed she had been on for some hours, heading to the actual bedroom, and hoping that he would not be there. She had no desire to see him with these thoughts running rampant through her head. She shuddered at the idea of finding him lying shirtless upon the bed as he normally was. It was getting more and more difficult to fight those fantasies away. But she managed. Partly because she was very worried he would outright reject or ridicule her. Despite how many advances he has made to her in the past, and how interested if nothing else he seemed in her, her deep-rooted insecurities would not allow her to accept that he might also take interest in her in that way. She had never had any experience with guys, while all the few friends she had had a new boyfriend nearly every month (something she found to be mildly immoral), and she was surrounded by guys it seemed; at the grocery store, at school and basically everywhere else, she was able to ignore them because all she really wanted was to go to school in the fall and maybe she'll find _the one_ later in her life.

Now she was changing into a more comfortable pair of clothes, still in deep thought as she listened to the utter silence around her. Finally, dressed and still tired despite having been asleep for uncounted hours, her eyes fell on the bed right beside her, the slightly rumpled purple sheets, the one that he slept in. She swallowed, coming to the conclusion that she needed to face at least one of her fears tonight. Hesitatingly, she crawled into the bed and got under the covers, scooting as far away from the door as possible. She desperately needed something, _anything_ to comfort her in the semi-darkness, but seeing as there was nothing in here that could sufficiently do that, she clenched her eyes shut, fighting back all the confusion she felt in this moment, and very slowly she fell asleep to unidentifiable sounds in the distance. . .

. . .

Sometime later, she awoke with a start as she felt another person's body heat directly behind hers, sliding into bed with her. At first, she clenched her eyes tightly shut again, feigning sleep and trying to ignore her growing anxiety. This was nothing like her past fears of him, this was something so much worse. Over time, it seemed to her that he wasn't going to acknowledge her right now, and slowly she relaxed and was on the brink of sleep again. Then, a shift behind her, a hand touching her side beneath the blanket, and a whispered, smug voice, "I know you're awake".

For a moment, she considered not responding. And she could have, but she knew that would be pointless and solve nothing. She rolled over underneath his arm that was still on her side. Avoiding his deep, penetrating gaze, she lay there listening to his slow, steady breathing while trying to calm her own.

When he finally spoke first, she nearly jumped at the suddenness of it. "You look like you're about to burst from whatever you're thinkin' about", he said in suppressed amusement. "Why don't you tell me _alll_ about it, hm?"

Something, wether it be his tone or the comfort she took in his arm around her, but whatever it was, it made her lift her eyes to his, and looking in to his greasepaint-free face, those dark brown, large eyes, she felt as if she had known him all her life instead of merely just these past months. Somehow, she knew that the look he was currently giving her was one he had not given many, if any, other people in his life. It was the tiniest bit concerned and very much focused solely on her. She had never in her life been looked at that way by any man before, and it brought on a blush that she was glad he could not see in the faint light making its way into the room.

In that exact moment...she did not care in the slightest who he was or what he has done. She couldn't help who she fell in love with. For now, that was enough. Without answering him, she leaned forward and placed her mouth over his, slowly and very shyly working it against his. She could almost feel his surprise, and she pushed it further by placing her hand on her bare chest and running her hand along the fine hairs on it. By then, he had begun to move his mouth with hers more and more, the both of them deepening the kiss almost at the exact same moment as if they were of one mind. But when her hand lowered closer to his stomach, he suddenly broke away, breathing slightly heavier.

Taking a moment to catch her breath, her brows furrowed in hurt; this was exactly what she had been afraid of. "What is it?" She asked, barely masking her sadness and the tremor in her voice.

His response was as unexpected as it was out of nowhere. Tilting his blonde head, he licked his lips once, slowly covering their entire surface with his tongue, then he asked her something she had never thought he would say, "Are you _sure,_ Em?"

"What do you mean?" She asked, incredulous and nearly angry.

He raised a brow, and said with superiority, "You do know this could change your life forever, right? I just thought you should know in case you were jumping the gun.."

He seemed almost bitter, she realized. As if he expected her to come to her senses at any moment. Then she wondered, maybe he was as nervous as she was, but he just masked it better. Sighing, she said wearily, "My life is already changed forever. I don't want to 'think this through' anymore. I just want...I just..want..you".

She tried in vain to read what there was to see within his stare, but there didn't seem to be anything, and for a split second she thought that he would suddenly change his mind in response to her words. But he didn't. Instead, they restarted with far more fire than what was originally there. His hand found its way to the bottom of her shirt, and she was grasping his biceps with as much passion as she could muster. And they continued thusly for the next two and a half hours. . .

Waking the next day felt like the bliss after experiencing a particularly good dream. Only this was real, as her mind was trying to convey to her through her sleep-induced haze. But she didn't care, she simply rolled over to cling to whatever sleep was left for her. Then she realized something shocking...she was naked. Bolting upright and clutching the blanket to her chest, she saw in relief that she was alone. The memories from last night came back to her and she flushed red all the way down to her toes. And then the feelings in her body came to her and she was a little surprised to find that she didn't actually hurt like old ladies and friends warned her about. Well, at least not at much as they said that she would. If anything, she felt very relaxed and almost like she had just done a mild workout. He had been far gentler than she had ever seen him, or even expected him to be. She was finding out all the time just how full of surprises he was.

Speaking of him, she wondered as she got redressed, what would it be like to see him again; awkward or more familiar than ever? It was almost exciting to wonder that. But she didn't have to for long- the door swung open with a creek directly behind her. She yelped, forgetting for a moment who it was, and quickly tugged her pants on all the way.

Whirling around, she saw him staring at her from the doorway looking every bit the clown that Gotham knew him as. Purple clad, and face painted, he raised a black painted brow. "I have seen you in much less than that and not that long ago, you know", he said huskily.

Her face reddened once again. Stammering, she tried to cover, "I-I know..it's just, you surprised me, as you oft-often do, and I was just.."

He stood in front of her now, and taking her face in his large, leather gloved hands, he kissed her once, lightly on the mouth. Pulling back, he snickered a bit, "I know. You'd think you would be able to tell when I'm _joking_ by now".

She smiled a bit at that. Leaning forward, they were about to kiss again when a rumbling sound broke out in the room between them. They both looked down simultaneously at her stomach.

At his questioning look, she shrugged. "I'm hungry".

He barely suppressed a loud laugh, saying instead, "Yeah, I could use some food, too. Let's go".

Walking side by side down the hall, a thought occurred to her and she quickly looked at him, asking, "Can I ask you a favor?"

He swung his arm around her shoulders, and giving them a squeeze, he asked distractedly, "What is it..?"

"Can we get my cat back sometime?" She almost laughed at the look on his face at her words. . .

. . .

Somehow, a whole two months flew by. The Batman showing up less and less, much to the annoyance of the Joker, The Riddler still not having been caught, the police force back almost entirely, the mayor going through extensive plastic surgery after quite a few injuries inflicted by the Riddler. Through all this, Emily had slowly, with the unknowing help of the Joker, begun to forget about all the horrors she has witnessed and grown stronger as a result. The Joker and her seemed to always be near each other, almost unintentionally. They watched the news together, slept together and ate together. Her appetite was becoming less and less existent, even less than his.

One particular day, as she tiredly watched him assemble some sort of weapon through bleary eyes- she had been very sleepy of late, a sharp cramp tore through her midsection, and expecting she knew what it was from, she hastily backed towards the door, clutching her stomach and muttering a rushed, "Excuse me", she ran as fast as she could to the bedroom and from there to the grey colored bathroom to check herself. No blood was to be found. She frowned; normally there would be at least a little by now especially with cramps. But then, her cycle has skipped a month many times before. But not with intense cramping. Then, a strange sensation; like butterfly wings flapping delicately inside her. Her breath hitched, her eyes widened. It was like the screen blocking her from seeing the obvious was lifted.

Pulling up her shirt, she tried in vain to see some kind of movement or difference to her flat stomach. There was nothing for a full two minutes, and at first she thought it was her imagination, but then it happened again. The tiniest twitching movement within her. For a moment, she felt panicked; what would she do? Surely, she was too young for this to happen, but she knew that was silly. Of course she was plenty old enough but that didn't mean she was any less shocked. Then, as if to comfort her, another kick inside her. She placed a hand over her belly in wonder. There was a little person growing within her. It was too amazing, and magnificent to comprehend in the short amount of time she has had.

Suddenly, she realized she had no idea what exactly babies looked like at this stage, and she was instantly curious. So, getting the laptop from under the bed, she looked up the imaged for herself. The photos were not entirely human-looking, no but very distinct, and..perfect.

"That's what you look like right now?" she whispered as if afraid that talking normally would disrupt the magic of the moment. There was no response from her baby, but she hadn't been expecting one, instead she was rubbing the spot she knew the baby was under and somehow she could tell that it knew she was trying to comfort her baby.

Deciding she had seen enough for now, she deleted the history and placed the computer back where it was. But then the person who was the reason for her having to delete the history entered her mind, and she instantly covered her growing baby with both hands, looking at the closed bedroom door in worry for this question could not, and would not be ignored;

 _What was she going to tell him?_


	32. Chapter 32

**Disclaimer: read chapter 2**

"Hmm..maybe..Cassie, short for Cassandra?...Oh! Maybe Jessie for a boy or a girl name". Emily spoke quietly to herself and her baby as she rubbed soothing circles over the growing bump just under the scar upon her belly.

She lay sprawled upon the Joker's bed, thinking of names and saying them aloud softly all while having a one sided conversation with her child.

"What about Victoria if you're a girl, or Victor if you're a boy?" The tiniest of movements beneath her fingers in response, almost like the fluttering of a butterfly's wings- it made her heart melt. She smiled.

"Do you like it when I talk to you?" She could have sworn she felt the baby do a little somersault. "What if I sing to you, hm?" No movement. For a split second she worried that there was something wrong, then she had to remind herself that her baby had only just started moving fairly recently. It was only three months old by now, at most. So, taking the stillness as a yes, she began to sing for the first time in months, very quietly so that no one else would hear. She sang a lullaby. It was one her own mother had sung to her many a sleepless night, and it was very old, as well as calming, both for her and her baby it would seem as her child did not stir once for the entirety of the song.

And as she sang, she wondered. About how likely it was that her baby would be more like her, or her father. That gave her slight pause, as she still hadn't told him anything, for which she was beginning to feel slightly guilty about. But there was something, no matter how small it was, it was enough to stop her everytime she was on the verge of telling him. It just didn't feel right to tell him right now what with his distraction with the Batman's reappearance, and how busy he was concocting his next plan.

At least, that's what she kept telling herself everytime she felt guilty for keeping this precious secret just for her. Somehow, at least for now, her baby mattered more than telling him every little thing that was going on. As a matter of fact, he was so distracted of late, she was sort of grateful for it because it gave her time to reflect, and think clearly for a change without him constantly breathing down her neck and needing to know where she was every second. Now she had time to herself. And being one who was drawn to that, she found it a nice break.

Her voice cut off mid-lyric as an uncomfortable sensation formed just beneath where the baby sat. One that was all too familiar now: She had to use the restroom.

Gingerly swinging her legs off the bed, and pausing only a minute to collect herself, she almost laughed at the phrase she knew some pregnant women to use when they recalled how pregnancy made you feel "like you have to whiz like a racehorse every five seconds". Somehow, that was all too accurate, she felt, anyways as she slowly made her way to the bathroom. Now, of course she had nothing to base this on, but she was almost certain that this pregnancy was taking more out of her than it probably should have. She was extremely weak, always thirsty as if the water was being filtered out of her stomach as soon as she ingested it. And she was always oh so tired. So very tired. All the time. Obviously, she did not blame her child for this, and especially not the father of her child, she just figured she needed to be stronger, and it was simply her own weakness that she alone needed to overcome.

Finally finished doing her business, she must have gotten off too hastily, as after her pants were pulled up, and she strode out the door, the blood rushed to her head, her vision became dark, and she stumbled to the ground in an embarrassing jumble of legs and arms. Rug burning herself in the process.

She cursed under her breath, instantly reaching for her child she knew she must have hurt in the process, then freezing in the middle of the action as she heard footsteps slowly approach her, the owner of them she had not even been aware had entered the room. Glancing up from her kneeling position, her eyes rose from the brown shoes, to the purple pants, blue hexagonal shirt, up up into the face of a paint free Joker, looking down at her in quizzical amusement.

Smiling a small, genuine smile, she was the first to speak. "Hello, I didn't think you would be done until later, like usual".

"Am I that predictable?" He raised a brow, no trace of a smile evident on his face. Though smiling suddenly, he crouched down to be on her level, grasping her arms in a strong grip, he pulled her up with him, twirling her around so her back was to him. She allowed this, allowed his nose to graze all over her neck, up and down. She allowed him to support much of her weight, she tolerated the kisses he pressed against her neck. Something deep inside of her, the old part of her personality, the one not yet entirely quashed by his domineering, possessive shadow, was telling her this was wrong, that she should not accept the affection of a psychopath, that she should not be a doormat. Except that voice was all but nonexistent now as she had spent so long pushing it down and away. Much like her memories of her mom, her dad, Kate..all that she had lost. Has it really been three months already?

Her thoughts were halted by the hands resting on her stomach, starting to go underneath her shirt. She didn't really care about that per se, but the fact that he may feel the bump, worried her. But, to her great relief, he did not say anything aside from a whispered "I missed you today, you know.." against her neck. He said things like this from time to time. But she knew he didn't really mean it. It was just the insane part of his being that was convincing himself that he was normal, and capable of any feeling...even though he wasn't. The thought surprisingly did not bother her as much as you would expect. She had come to accept it.

It didn't take him long before he turned her around fully to kiss her full on the lips, moving his against hers slowly at first, then with growing hunger. She knew this kind of mood her was in- it was how he got when he only had the option of sitting for hours, by himself concocting formulas for mass destruction. He always got wound up when he had all that energy with no outlet for it...apart from her. They had made love only a few times since the first, and everytime only after he had gotten extremely antsy from staying still for hours. Their first experience with it together had been by far the gentlest. Almost like some more human part of him took control just enough that he knew to take it easy with her. Every other time, on the other hand, had left her with multiple bruises. But she never complained. Not once.

She was practically suffocating, being pressed flush against his front, with his mouth completely covering her own, her vision began to get blurry, and slowly she eventually blacked out. Of course, he had no trouble supporting her weight, but the sudden unresponsiveness forced him to pull away, and he looked down at her in the barest hint of concern. Setting her up against the pillows, it was no time at all before her eyes opened once again, looking about in slight confusion.

His concern quickly faded into mild irritation, and it showed clearly in his tone he used. "Wha _t_ was _that_ about, exactly?" As if she would really know, but his temper never really cared to make him reasonable in the slightest.

Those light brown eyes of hers were furrowed slightly. "What was what about?"

"You just passed out"

"I did?"

"Uh, yeah".

"Oh".

Now he was angry, not just irritated. "'Oh'? That's all you have to say?" Her quiet nod in response, and no opposition from her, diffused his sudden anger, if only a little. He sighed theatrically, and said a bit more teasingly, "You're not gonna _die_ on me, are you, Em?"

And it was that completely not serious question that woke her up. She was instantly worried. Terrified, really. But not for herself...for her baby. If she died, or didn't take proper enough care of herself, their child would certainly not survive. Her heart pounded in her chest, her palms got sweaty and her breathing quickened a bit. She had to do everything she could to prevent any mishaps, and she needed to start by taking care of herself because she was carrying another little human being. This being was not exactly a part of her, sure she had helped create it, but it would only be inside of her for so long, and these months were critical in development. One thing she knew was that it had been a while since she had eaten a good meal, and surely that must have something to do with this.

Suddenly, she was intent on her plan to go to the kitchen for some food, so as quick as she could, and without making it openly apparent how difficult it was, she swung her legs over the bed once again, to begin her walk there. But she was stopped by The Joker's arm over her shoulder, putting just enough pressure down to halt her in her tracks. She looked up into his dark eyes questioningly.

He smiled, squeezing her close against him in response, asking her, "And just where so you think you're going?"

Trying to be discreet about it, she fought for a little space between them as it was making her claustrophobic. But he wasn't about to relent, so she gave in, her eyes downcast as she answered honestly, "Just to get some food...I think that may be why I feel faint". She looked up, hoping he would understand.

He seemed to take a moment to think something over, his eyes looking up at the ceiling. Then, they snapped back to hers, she couldn't look away. It was like a rabbit being speared by the Hunter's arrow, and unable to turn or run away no matter how much it wished to.

A smirk spread across his red stained lips as he drawled, "Alright, I su-ppose you do need to eat. I'll take you there, myself".

And so he did, walking her the entire way there, stopping just outside the door, then dropping the arm from around her shoulders he said, "You know where everything is, I've got a few things to do, but I'll be back very soon". With that, he turned round, and stalked down the dark hall.

Emily turned back to face the kitchen, setting about making a sandwich

...

The Joker paced his workroom, going over courses of action to take with the reappearance of the Batman. Firstly, he did wish he knew what had made him come out from his cave once again. Obviously the Joker would like to say the credit belonged to him, but he knew that there had to be more to it. Possibly what he had done with Emily- surely the story had appeared in the news at least once- had made Bats take notice and suddenly stand up for 'justice' once again. Maybe they can start again just like old times. Finally his worthy adversary had come back, and he would no longer be forced to settle for second rate fun, he would no longer need pressure the Caped Crusader in order to evoke a response from his brooding nemesis, and no longer would it be just Emily holding his attention. For now he felt it once again; that familiar itch to cause something catastrophic and _big._ Something that would drive this city and Batman to its knees. It may take years to construct, but he could wait just as long as the punchline was worthy enough.

His thoughts of chaos and conquest turned suddenly to Emily. Probably because he had spent so long with her without any other person around, it was now as if they were inexplicably linked. At their core, they somehow understood each other more than he believed any doctor could understand him, or any person could understand her. She was forever changed by him, and while he couldn't say he was changed necessarily, he most certainly felt a little..different than he did before. Though, after getting her back from Riddles place, he sensed more than saw something peculiar about her manner and behavior. He wondered what it could be mainly because he cared about what was going on with his things. And she was his. No matter what. She may seem more accepting of it now, but deep down, she was still the same person she was before, and in the deepest innermost parts of her heart, she surely denies the validity of his claim of ownership over her. But it was true, and will be for the rest if their lives.

The scared lips upon his face rose a fraction of an inch in a sinister smile at that thought. He was so sure of himself in every venture, and every action he takes. It was all calculated, and he was sure his plans for the future were already coming to fruition.

...

The Joker was gone quite a bit longer than she had originally thought he'd be, but she did not mind. She had fixed herself a roast beef sandwich, with two glasses, one with water the other, orange juice. Even though it made her feel like her stomach would explode, and though it made her unbelievably nauseous, she finished every bite, and every swallow, believing it would be good for her and her baby.

Swallowing the last gulp of water, she winced at the tight feeling within her stomach, and the baby suddenly moving around inside her. She placed a comforting hand over her belly, trying to be as reassuring as possible.

"It's OK, baby", she cooed, "We'll be OK". She wasn't sure why exactly she added the second part, but it felt necessary for some reason.

"I wonder", she said distractedly, looking into the distance. "Are you a boy, or a girl? I don't care either way, you know. I just want to know so I can prepare". She had actually been asking that question from the beginning. Boy or girl? What would her baby look like? If it's a girl, would it be reversed and she looked and behaved like her father? Somehow, that was a little bit of an unpleasant thought. What about a boy? Would he look and act like his mom? Or would he have his father's light, wavy blonde hair, and dark eyes? Never having been one to daydream as a teenager, really, these musings felt like they were taking the place of those princessy dreams. The dreams of motherhood were so downplayed lately, and it was like you were less of a woman to all of your friends if you chose to be a stay at home mom. But, in her opinion, there was no more beautiful a job. It was the career you take with you when you die. The one that affects generations upon generations, and it can be so rewarding, she was sure.

So lost had she become in her own thoughts, that she had not noticed the Joker making his way into the room she was in, and staring at her back that was facing him. If he strained his hearing, he could swear he heard her quiet humming, something he had not caught her doing in quite sometime.

Further confirming some private suspicions of his.

He cocked a brow, slinking up behind her, then as delicately as he was capable of, he placed purple gloved hands upon her pale shoulders. He felt her immediately stiffen, then relax slightly once she realized who it was. Normally people have the opposite reaction when they realize who he was. Instead of relaxing, it would be more like raw terror.

Wanting to put her further on edge, he said teasingly with a hint of menace laced within, "Just who were you talking to, my _dearr_? Hmm?" Releasing her shoulders, he went to sit opposite her, a gleam in his eye as he looked at her. She had a deer-caught-in-the-headlights kind of look. He had trouble stifling his giggles.

She tried her hardest not to look too guilty, though some of it must have shown through as she responded as convincingly as possible, "Nobody".

"Mm-hmm". Came the sarcastic reply.

"I was just..thinking aloud, is all".

"Is that so?" His voice rose in pitch, his eyes never leaving her face for a second.

Turning her own face down, she tried avoiding those large heated coals that seemed so dangerous and also mysterious to her. Even having been around him far longer than any other person, there was still no way that she could predict his actions. And that worried her. Not for her own safety, but for their baby's. Belatedly, she realized her hand was still on her stomach, and so out of sight of his heavy gaze, she removed her hand, afraid he would notice, but he didn't outwardly show that he had- his gaze had turned to his left, staring at the wall with a slightly furrowed brow.

And as he sat seemingly calm, she allowed herself to imagine for a moment what it would be like when the baby did actually come, if all went well with her pregnancy, that is. Would he be the exact opposite of her expectations of him, and be the nurturing parent she wished she had for her child? Certainly not. But then..on the other, more horrific hand, maybe he would use their own baby for something sinister. Maybe he would tie her to the bed, and their baby would only be safe until it was no longer in the womb. Suddenly, this room was stiflingly hot, and she couldn't breathe. These thoughts were so horrid, she had to get away from them somehow.

Knowing she had to ask permission first, she bit at her lip a moment before raising her gaze to his, as submissively as possible, she spoke, and the moment she did, his eyes snapped back to her own, hot and heavy on her soft and meek.

"Could..I go for a walk..outside?" Maybe he would say yes, she hoped so, she didn't think it was good for her baby if she wasn't able to breathe fresh air at least once in awhile.

"No". The reply came hard and fast, his countenance visibly darkening as if the very idea drove him to unreasonable anger.

Inside her, a spark shot through her, nothing more than a candle upon a great, still silent lake, but it was there, and it spoke of her indignation at being treated like an object and not a person, but the feeling passed quickly into her usual reluctant acceptance. She looked away, avoiding his prying gaze.

Her disappointment must have been more evident than she had originally thought, because she heard a quiet chuckle waft over to her from the other side of the table. Her eyes rose once again to see him smiling at her almost fondly, but with evil superiority.

"Don't worry, my _dearr_. I'll take you another day".

He said this like he was the most reasonable person in all of Gotham, and how else could she respond but with the usual 'ok, thank you'? She really had no other choice.

...

It was quiet, still and dark in the Joker's room. They lay together as they had since leaving the kitchen and coming into this room. He was on his side with his arm draped over her stomach, and she was on her back, staring up at the ceiling in deep thought. Sometimes, when you are in a quiet, dark place, your immediate thoughts are all you have, and even past, and future seen like distant, intangible dreams that kept slipping away and growing more fuzzy the more you focused on them. For that, she was both grateful and a little saddened. Grateful because her worries were easily ignored in times like this, and sad because it felt like she was forgetting who she was as a person. After so long with the Joker, she found herself questioning less and less, and it scared her, quite frankly.

She sighed, closing her eyes and trying hard to find sleep though it would not come, and very quickly she realized she would not be able to sleep. Not now, anyways. And so, for reasons she could not explain, she eased his arm off her- he did not stir- and she slipped out of bed, fumbling in the dark for her underwear, which she slipped on, then her pants. Once dressed, she stood there and thought for a moment about what to do. She glanced once at his sleeping form and unlike most nights, there was no appeal in returning to bed.

Her hand slid over her most recent bruise along her side, one that had been inflicted by him, and had been by far the most painful later on, and had swelled up a bright red. Why was she OK with that? Why did she just shrug it off always? She had no answer, but for whatever reason, that bothered her, though she couldn't say why.

Her head felt like it was in the clouds- she couldn't think! Not here, anyways. And so, for the first time since returning back here, she outright defied him, and she left the warehouse to walk outside.

She wondered why she had not tried this sooner as she walked the last few steps across the empty lot, over the road and into the small, quiet park she had been to only once before. It was so refreshing. It was very dark out, with only the occasional streetlamp down the street, and the stars like tiny pinpricks of light high up above. And the night was so still and almost utterly quiet, just like the calm before the storm, this air was crisp, cool and smelled of mowed grass, apples, and moss. A welcome reprieve from the dank, musty smells of the warehouse. She inhaled deeply as she walked, hardly aware of anything going on around her.

Until the faint noise of hushed voices met her ears.

Her eyes snapped open and darted looking around her as she froze upon the small walkway listening for which direction they were coming from, and what she could tell was that it was just ahead, over the knoll and down by the lake. Of course she could have just kept walking, but something pulled her over up on the grassy rise, and behind a tree she looked quietly down on a young couple sitting on a bench just next to the lake, looking out over the moonlit ripples on the water.

Though Emily didn't know why, something felt melancholy in the air, and bittersweet as she gazed upon their private moment knowing she probably shouldn't, but unable to help herself. The woman down below had platinum blonde hair in a short pixie cut, with rosy cheeks and a bright, pink lipped smile. The man had dark, straight black hair with twinkling, merry eyes. They were in the middle of an easygoing conversation, from what she could tell. It was so fascinating to her, she couldn't pull away at seeing how they both obviously enjoyed the other's company. Not the pleasure they could get from their partner, not for bragging rights at having found the most attractive partner, but how they looked at each other as if hanging on the other's words, and listening intently to them. Like soul mates.

Eventually, after uncounted minutes, the man leaned forward and snuck a kiss on the cheek of his companion, pulling a giggle out of her, and they rose together, he tenderly wrapping the blanket that was on their laps around her shoulders, and walking together around the lake until they were out of Emily's sight. It had begun to drizzle lightly, the droplets making little individual splashes on the lake and disturbing the water.

" _That's something you'll never have, if you stay",_ her heart whispered to her.

She gasped, clutching the tree like it was her only lifeline, only realising just now that she had tears running down her face. There she sobbed quietly to herself. She sobbed until there was no more tears left to cry, and her eyes were red and puffy from her heaving. Tenderly, she lifted herself up off the ground, standing beside the tree as the rain beat down harder, her deepest thoughts and fears were crashing against her with a force nearly physical in its intensity. Pushing against her were the thoughts she had tried for months to quell. Thoughts of how mistreated she was by him, how evil he was, and how complacent she was with his villainous acts, and how..he could never be a father.

That hurt the worst. That the man who had sired her baby, was incapable of loving it.

" _What am I supposed to_ do?!", she cried to herself.

Then, the answer hit her as her eyes alighted on a phone booth a little down the pathway. It almost hurt her to make the decision, but she ever so slowly made her way to the phone, pulling from deep within her coat's pockets; a quarter. She stared, at it, wishing it could provide her with some alternative. But of course it didn't, it merely glinted back at her with the light of the streetlamp. Finally, if only for her baby, she reminded herself, she dialed the nearly forgotten number, and waited seven rings, thinking no one would answer, until at last;

"Hello?" The highly accented voice sounded.

She nearly got choked up as she said with great difficulty, "Hello, Alfred..", she sniffled, "I think I might need your help...one more time".

 ** _))))_**

 ** _Well, what can I say? Thank you, old readers, for your unending patience. Than you new ones for giving this a chance._**

 **I have decided that I shall write a sequel in the near future, and another story as well, I just haven't decided what yet. I would love to hear feedback and I thank you all so much for your alerts, faves, follows, and reviews. Thank you all!**


	33. Chapter 33

Disclaimer: **read chapter 2**

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Her eyes blinked open, taking a full minute to recall exactly where she was, and when recollection dawned, she furrowed her brows in frustration, annoyed at herself; she had obviously fallen asleep, and for how long, she didn't know, but she was angry at herself because she had planned on getting a head start out of here. Away from _him.._ she had hoped to do so long before he even found out, and she knew she couldn't do that without some help. So she called the person she trusted the most since coming here. Alfred.

For whatever reason, his name made her sad, though she did have an idea as to why. Emily was sad because after today, she had decided she would likely never see anyone she knew in Gotham, ever again. If things went according to her plan, that is. Her plan which involved asking one more favor from her friend- a ride back to her home town. She didn't have much family, but she did have one cousin back home. Surely, if she offered her something, her cousin would not refuse her and their child.

Her breath halted in her throat, she forgot to breathe for a split second. Their child. Their child. _Their_ child. _Theirs._

The tears came hard and fast, and before she could even stop them, they spilled over her hollow cheeks that were devoid of all color, creating little river-like tracks down her face and dropping off her chin onto the silk sheets- she buried her face into her knees, trying to still her sobs, and keep it quiet. But try as she might, she could not stop them. Almost as if she had opened a door in her heart just a tiny crack the night she had her epiphany, and now the door had burst completely open, seemingly not to be shut for quite some time. And the cause of her distress was her undeniable guilt she felt. Gwuilt over keeping her baby from its father. The baby had been the thing to push her to see her foolishness, and to see past his attempts at romanticism for what it was; a way to keep her against her will, and to break her of all she had known and believed in. Her baby had practically saved her life, but no matter how hard she tried, she could not ignore this little one's undeniable, and irrevocable connection to a monster. It was his as well as hers, no matter how much she had wished it weren't so. Her baby may even share some of his traits. Such as his tenacity when pointed towards something he wanted, or maybe his roguish charm.

Or quite possibly..his unsympathetic heart.

No. She shook her head, ridding herself of the thought just as goosebumps broke out across her arms. Her baby would be better than him. It would _not_ turn into pure evil. She very much hoped not, at least. She was determined to do for her baby what she felt had not been done for her, and to try her very best to give it a good life. For even as she sat here, in this dark, warm and inviting room, no immediate, horrific nightmares to keep her up at night, she knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that she would give her own life, if it meant securing her child's chances at a full one.

Somehow, that was the thing that stilled her crying, and straightened her spine. She would get through all of this. For thei- for _her_ baby. Wiping her puffy eyes with her sweater's sleeve, she carefully slid off the soft bed, placing her still shoe clad feet onto the dark wood floor, trying to regain some stability as she sat on the edge of the bed with her feet touching the floor. She placed a hand to her hot forehead. Ever since realizing she was pregnant, she had noticed herself being more warm than she used to be, or hot in times she would normally be freezing. Such as laying in bed at the warehouse by herself when he stayed up late into the night, or wandering the dark halls on her own without his strong, overheated body beside her. Pretty soon, she found herself lost within these hazy memories that seemed oddly coated in a certain fondness she felt while reminiscing.

All of a sudden, she was shaken out of her thoughts by hushed and muffled men's voices coming from down the hall, outside the door. For a split second, fear took hold of her as some disturbing memories came back to her and she froze at the sound of the deep and (in her mind) angry voices. Then, just as quickly as it came, the feeling was gone and she was able to shake herself out of it and convince herself that she knew these particular men meant her no harm. They were not going to hurt her. They weren't.

Keeping that in mind, she felt it would be odd of her to stay in the room all day. Also, she couldn't because she had a goal, and she was going to meet it. Shifting fully onto her feet, she touched her hardly noticeable bump, a habit she had gotten into when she knew she was alone. And keeping her hand there, she walked along the bed, stopping a moment to look out the large glass window. Raining heavily, so heavy in fact it was impossible to see what time of day it was, but if she had to venture a guess, she'd say probably late morning. At least she didn't sleep too long, she told herself. Still, she knew..she could feel somehow that _he_ was wide awake somewhere out there. She could only hope that this was not one of the first places he looked. If he even cared enough to, that is.

And for whatever reason, that last thought hurt much more than it should have. But this time, she was able to halt the tears and tell herself not to cry now, or ever again. She had to stop, she realized. Take initiative. Be strong. And not just for herself. Now both of her hands were over her belly, making it almost like she was hugging her child closer to herself. Away from harm. Away from _him._ She had a precious secret. Something to fight for. And she would fight, until her very last breath.

By now, the voices down the hall had either stopped, or moved further away because she could no longer hear them as she opened the mahogany door and stepped out into the long hall, wondering which way she should go. Deciding on the right, she slowly made her way down the wide hall, taking a moment to admire the low tables that lined each side every fifteen feet or so, that held exquisite pieces of art atop their smooth surfaces. One piece in particular caught her eye and made her pause to admire it. It was a large oval suspended from a golden, spiny rod. The rod itself was lovely, its ridges a darker gold than the rest of it, and shinier than anything she had seen in a long while. The oval on the other hand, was magnificent. With swirling mixed colors of radiant, dazzling hues within, she had a hard time pulling away, some colors standing out to her above and beyond all the others. A lovely white swirl like the color and hue of a shimmery, fresh snowfall. A black swirl as deep and as sparking as a midnight sky. A red slash the color of deepest blood red, but sparkled like rubies. A purple swirl the color of a certain hummingbird species she had read of in a bird book as a child long ago, but could not recall the name of. And finally, the last that stood out to her was the green, it reminded her of the greasy, yet soft texture of-

She gasped, jerking backwards from her hunched forward position, suddenly realizing why her attention had been drawn to it and feeling her cheeks burn with shame.

Unable to stand it, she hastened down the hall the way she was originally going but at a much quicker pace. She could not believe herself. How pathetic that she would be wishing for his presence or even looking back fondly on their time together. She wished she did not care for him even a little bit, that she could feel the same revulsion she felt in her first weeks with him. But she didn't. She couldn't. She could not shake him no matter how fast she ran or how hard she pushed. She wished she could escape him, wished for her baby to be able to live without fear of his oppressive shadow over them. It was apparent to her that she herself would never be fully free, and she could accept that. But not for her child. Her baby will not be subject to his villainy. She would make certain of that even if she had no idea how she would even accomplish such a thing.

So wrapped in her worries was she, that she didn't even notice right away that she had made it to the humongous sitting room. Halting just at the threshold, she took a moment to look it over in slow wonderment. With the overly huge table, couches to the right of it for a large sitting area, the walls a light greyish blue, a comforting stone fireplace, the whole room gave off a warm feel. Huge wall to floor windows straight ahead, looking over all the gloomy city of Gotham, it was magnificent. And also looking over the city were...Alfred and Bruce Wayne, whom she noticed was standing much taller and stronger than the last time she saw him.

For a minute, she almost thought to convince herself to turn right back around at the tension she could feel emanating from this room. She didn't want to make it any worse, but it was now or never for what she was about to ask of them.

As soon as the sound of her clearing her throat was heard, they both turned as if anticipating someone besides herself to be standing there. Someone much worse.

Emily ignored their reactions as she spoke first. A curt, "Hi".

"Good morning, miss", Alfred's polite, highly accented voice said as he walked over to her. Once beside her, he asked kindly but reproachfully, "Would you care to have some breakfast? I would have woken you sooner, but you were sleeping so peacefully, I would not have felt right for disturbing you".

She smiled a bit at that despite her slight annoyance that peaked through her tone. "Thank you, really. But, Alfred, I told you last night that I-," her words died in her mouth at seeing something in Bruce Wayne's eyes change from across the room. As if suddenly he was very interested in what she had to say where before he hadn't yet shown any interest whatsoever. Realizing she was standing there with her mouth open like a gaping fish, she closed it instantly, her eyes never leaving Bruce's as she finished her sentence differently than she was originally, "I... just wanted to get an early start".

Alfred's reassuring hand touched her back lightly, but she still flinched a little at it as if she'd been stung but she tried to disguise it as a shrug. Still, he noticed, and he gave her a sympathetic look in response, which she would admit, embarrassed her. He ignored her insistence of not being hungry, and guided her to the table anyway, stopping in front of it, and pulling out a chair for her to sit, which she did, though reluctantly.

She looked up at him, preparing to whisper what she came to say, but he spoke over her, saying, "Just a moment, miss. Master Wayne and I must speak privately a little while longer, we shall be back soon. I promise you". He added the last like a sacred vow, as if he thought she would be terrified of being left alone. Then, he kissed her head very gently and left as he said they would.

And so she sat there, alone at the table that could probably hold up to twenty people more, not knowing what to do. She wondered why they had left like they had something very serious to talk about with each other. But then, she supposed it didn't concern her most likely, so after a minute of silent contemplation, she looked over the food before her, none of it being immediately appealing. Many different soups to her left, from creamy thick chicken noodle to some beef stew, plenty of different egg dishes, half of which she didn't know the name of, different fruits, some exotic, some everyday ones, toast, juice, pork, and many many other plates on the other side from her. After careful consideration, and plenty of hesitation, she finally decided on a few small servings of different foods. Once they were on her plate, she looked it over distastefully, but just as with the sandwich back at the warehouse, she forced herself to eat as much as she could. And as soon as the first bite of the rich fare went down, her stomach clenched like she'd been punched, but she continued picking at it anyways, her mind wandering to both pass the time and escape the discomfort she was feeling.

As her deepest thoughts took over, a memory surfaced of her and the Joker. The first time they had ever been _together,_ and afterwards how he had held her small, trembling form within his arms. Holding her close, he had stroked her hair as she had taken the time to wrap her mind around what just happened. It was by far the most raw, vulnerable, and open she had ever been with anyone. Even with just a few words, she knew he could have crushed her spirit and possibly her very soul right then and there, and he knew it too. Yet, he didn't. She still wasn't sure why, even if at the time she didn't question it, why he had acted so much more..she couldn't think of another word besides _tender._ Why was he so much more gentle with her during this time together than all the other ones before? The most obvious answer was also the most painful to her; He wanted to ensure her trust in him with false gentility. And she'd fallen for it, hook line and sinker.

Of course, she felt like a fool. An idiot, an imbecile, take your pick. The fact that she had allowed him to display such a form of ownership over her, and at the same time, she had willingly given herself to him in return.. He had gotten exactly what he'd wanted from her, and she herself had almost signed her own life away forever.

" _Why didn't you run?_ " her subconscious accused.

Her shoulders fell, already knowing the answer to that; she had developed feelings for him. Feelings she still somewhat carried and weighed heavily on her heart. But that brought up an interesting question of why he never really acted like he ever doubted her newly acquired loyalty to him. A shiver ran up her spine and the hairs on her neck stood on end as she realized; he knew her too well. He knew she wouldn't try anything of the sort because he is that good at reading people like an open journal for him to study and take apart at his will. It was such a simple thing: He knew her. He probably knows where she is right now, if she was being honest with herself.

At the thought, her hand lightly touched her belly in growing horror. What if he noticed her odd behavior lately? What if he did somehow know about the baby he had had a hand in creating? She shook the thought from her mind, trying to get it out. There was no way that he knew- she had been so careful. She never spoke to her baby if she suspected him nearby, she never touched her belly if it was in his sight. Even back when she thought she trusted him, she already knew she couldn't let him know about this.

Once she had reassured herself of this, she closed her eyes and let this thought repeat over and over and over within the quiet of her mind. He didn't know about this, and if all went well, he never would. That brought a modicum of comfort to her and she allowed herself to savor the thought and let it wash through her and push out all other worries from her mind.

"We're gonna be OK, baby", she whispered.

"Are you talking to anyone in particular?" A male's voice asked.

Her eyes snapped open, looking to her right where the voice came from, to see Bruce Wayne himself standing a few feet to her right, looking down at her with a mildly inquisitive but very hard to decipher expression upon his handsome face.

The first response that entered her mind she said instantly, "No, there's no one".

His expression hardened somewhat as he took his seat, clasping his large hands together and still looking at her in a rather strange way.

"So, how have you been since we last..saw each other".

What a loaded question, she couldn't help thinking. Still, she didn't see any reason to get immediately defensive.

"Fine. Good days and bad. I'm sure you know how that is".

The look on his face seemed to tell her that she just gave something away to him.

"I'm sure I know all too well". His voice was hard. Like the bite of a crisp December wind whipping you and stinging you in the face.

She recalled seeing some papers and watching some stories of how he had lost his parents as a small child, and watched them die right in front of him, she figured that must be what he was referring to. But, why would he be talking about lives lost right now? Surely he didn't know about her and-

"You look much worse than the last time you were here".

For whatever reason, that offended her, and she felt her shoulders stiffen in response.

He saw that. "I don't mean it as an insult", he said, suddenly sounding very tired, "I just worry about you, that's all".

That shocked her, and her brows furrowed in confusion. "Why exactly would you feel the need to worry about me?"

A deep sigh escaped him. "To be completely honest, I'm worried that you are unwell. You would not know this, but I happen to have a..hobby..that involves reading and researching stories of missing persons in and around the Gotham area, and though yours is further away, I still took interest in it", the lie flowed freely off his lips so used to lying daily that it felt second nature now, "and I could not help noticing how our own infamous clown's most recent..villainous acts had for the most part, halted..right around the time you went missing".

Bruce saw her about to object, but he held up a hand, and with a stern look, he continued, "I cannot imagine the horrors he must have made you witness, or what he has _done_ to you," it was like he could hardly get those last words out, like he was insinuating the worst of the worst tortures, "and I'm sure I can't completely relate, but I do sympathize, and I will make certain that you are not back in his clutches again. However, both as a result of the fact that the GCPD is a mess, and seeing how there is no other option... I am sorry to tell you that-"

He was interrupted by Emily suddenly throwing up with her head between her legs and her hands on her small knees. She was heaving very heavily, and there was barely digested food coming out and yellow bile afterwards. Then, nothing.

Slowly, she leaned back with her hand on her belly, looking down sadly at the mess before them.

"I am so sorry".

Picking up a napkin, she tried dabbing at her pants. She was thoroughly embarrassed, and could not bring herself to look up at him. She figured it must partly be her morning sickness she'd been having off and on, and how unused she was to such rich foods after months of hardly anything at all.

She was stopped by a hand around her wrist, and she looked up into the deep brown eyes of Bruce Wayne, her own never leaving his as he took the cloth from her and helped her to her feet, all the while supporting her weight.

"It's fine, Emily. Let's just get you taken care of".

And she actually believed those words.

...

"Lift the shirt", the nurse said impatiently.

Emily and June the nurse were standing together in Emily's room as Bruce Wayne had asked that the hospital send someone over for a checkup. Evidently, most higher end nurses here didn't just make house calls whenever, but for a Wayne, she supposed they'd make an exception and that was why this rather cranky nurse was here.

Emily did as she was told, standing there holding her shirt up so that June could listen to her lungs on the front and back, check her heart. She stood as the older woman got out a scale for her after measuring her height. Stepping on it, the nurse looked down at the numbers and made a few disapproving noises

"Judging by your height and age, you are nearly fifteen pounds under the weight you should be. What is so hard about eating a little extra at dinnertime?"

Despite how harsh the remark was, Emily didn't have the energy to argue with her, merely shrugging in response and remaining silent.

The other woman sighed and with s shake of her head, she rolled forward her ultrasound machine.

"Mr. Wayne had specifically requested this for whatever reason. Lay down on the bed, I'll do the rest".

For a moment, Emily hesitated as the nurse readied everything for her. What if there was something wrong, what if she should keep this a secret to protect her child? What if it was all a mistake coming here?

But, the thought of finally seeing her baby, of finally having visual verification of its existence, was too tempting. And so, she crawled onto the bed, pulling up her shirt and watching as the nurse rubbed some sort of cool, clear jelly over her small bump, and pressed the thing shaped like a microphone connected to a wire on her belly.

As she waited expectantly, her brows furrowed as all she saw was indecipherable gray shapes and lots of black on the screen. Her heart beat quickened in worry.

Then, a little human form took up the screen as it appeared within a black seeming tunnel that she was sure was her womb. Suddenly, all else ceased to exist as she looked upon this little human life growing inside of her. She wanted to reach forward and touch the screen, but she also didn't want to ruin the moment, choosing instead to simply lay there, staring in utter awe and wonder at this little miracle. Not the nurse's shocked words of; "You're p-pregnant?" or any other thing could distract her from her sheer joy at finally seeing her precious child.

Only the screen turning black and the nurse leaving could pull her from her trance like state. Her hands moved to cover the whole of her belly as she smiled down at it, wishing she could kiss her baby's forehead right now and that it would understand just how much she truly loved it.

After an uncounted number of minutes, the door to the room flew open with a loud bang and in walked Bruce Wayne, staring at her as if she had just killed his cat. Carefully, she lifted herself up, afraid of suddenly setting him off. This scenario really was all too familiar for her.

"What's the matter?" She asked.

His eyes narrowed almost as if in disgust. "You knew you were pregnant". A statement, not a question.

"...Of course I did", she tried not getting defensive, but it peaked through a little.

"Then why have you not taken care of it by now?" His words dripped with hatred, but hate for what she wasn't sure.

Her brows furrowed. "What do you mean? I am taking care of it..I try every day. I may not be the best mother, but I'm really trying.."

His next words dripped with venom; "You know that's not what I mean".

"What could you possibly-" comprehension dawned, and for a split second her features showed horror, then they morphed into sheer outrage.

"How. Dare. You say such a thing?"

He stepped closer, encroaching on her small space, and she would have taken a step back were she not so incensed.

"How dare I? How dare I? What about how dare _you_ for thinking you could carry that monster's spawn?"

Her anger died down somewhat, but it was still there. Like a small campfire, it was waiting for just a big enough gust of wind before setting the whole forest ablaze.

She shook her head silently before saying, "You could not possibly ever understand".

For some reason, that seemed to crack his resolve, and she spied pity in his eyes as he spoke more softly now. "I might understand better than you think".

She sighed. "Look, I'll just go. You'll never have to deal with me or hear from me again, and I'll be on my way".

Moving to step around him, she was stopped by his hand on her shoulder, and she looked up in confusion and slight annoyance.

"I'm sorry, Emily. But, as I was going to tell you earlier..I cannot let you leave again".

"You mean, I can't leave today?" She asked, still not understanding.

"No, I mean until the Joker gets apprehended".

It felt like her entire world was crashing down around her in the form of deep waves that were drowning and suffocating her as she clawed for the surface and fresh air.

"You..can't..do that".

"I can, and I will". His voice was sure, but his eyes held sympathy. Sympathy she did not care for or need.

"But", she tried to reason, "he may not be captured for many months! And I have to leave. I have to protect my baby..from him. And from Gotham".

"I understand. You may not believe me, but I do. However, if you go out there, what is to stop him from taking you again along with your..child.. And if he does take you, he may go underground again, and we may not have another chance at him".

"You're using me as bait?"she snarled.

"No, an extra measure to hopefully ensure he will not get away again".

Shocking them both, she let out one quick and loud and crazy laugh. "You don't get it, do you? You can't outwit him. He'll evade all your traps for him more easily than you could imagine. And why does it even matter to you, anyway?"

There was sorrow in his eyes now and he refused to answer, avoiding it by saying, "You will stay here, and you'll eventually understand why".

Her eyes narrowed. "Is that an order?"

"More like a tempered suggestion", he said with a halfhearted smile.

She was not amused, continuing to glare at him as they stood there silently.

Finally, he broke the awkwardness as he said, "The nurse told me that broth would probably be the best and most nutritious thing for you right now, I'll have Alfred bring you some".

As he turned to go, he heard her say sadly under her breath;

"You and him are not that different".

...

And over the course of the next few weeks, somehow she had to wrap her mind around the entire situation but with little success. She knew that the police were pretty much non existent right now, and she was sure that there was no one she could turn to if she got out of this place. Honestly, she should probably be thankful for this, shouldn't she? But, the fact that she did not want to be here, coupled with the fact that she was worried about the Joker finding her, did not make her particularly happy every day. Bruce Wayne had of course come to apologize once, to which she had not said a word and let him say his peace before watching him leave in defeat.

She could understand why he did this, even if she may not agree with it. Clearly, he had a serious grudge against the Joker, as many people rightly did. But, for whatever reason, even though it possibly would have ensured her child and her own safety, and the safety of many others, she could not bring herself to divulge his exact location to anyone. She had told Alfred the general area of town that he was in, but feigned forgetting precisely where, allowing her to be able to drop that discussion. She wasn't sure really why she didn't want to say where he was. Perhaps, it was that she was worried for whomever's safety who would dare venture that area, or she suspected him already gone from that location, or..she didn't want him behind bars again. It just felt wrong to her to cage something that should be allowed to roam free and cause as much madness and mayhem as it saw fit.

" _My gosh, what is the matter with me? I sound insane",_ she thought to herself, placing a hand on her forehead.

Getting up from the reading chair that she hadn't left in what felt like forever, she headed to the bathroom to get clean before dinner. And once showered, dried and standing before the mirror, she took a minute to survey her towel clad form in a way she had not in quite a while. Her brown curly hair was some inches longer since leaving her home for a trip to Gotham what felt like a lifetime ago. Her eyes stood out prominently against the pale skin of her face, her hair framing it rather prettily. Her collarbone had filled out a lot more since coming to Bruce's penthouse. She was still relatively thin, but she was glad for what she had gotten these past weeks, at least.

A knock could be heard on her bedroom door, then Alfred's familiar voice, "Dinner is ready, miss".

Her pink lips opened to say, "Thank you. I'll be out in ten minutes, Alfred".

"That is fine", he said, then his receding footsteps down the hall, and silence.

When she was pretty much done, she took some lotion and put it under her shirt and rubbed it over her belly to soothe the stretched skin there. She knew many women had done this before her, and done fine, but it didn't make any of the troubles of pregnancy less strenuous. From having trouble bending forward because of the small watermelon in her way, to constantly having to use the restroom to pee as the baby lay very close to her bladder. Still, she just knew her baby would be worth all of it. To see her child's face for the first time was something she could not quell her excitement for. And at least now, she had a- relatively speaking- safe place to have her baby. What would happen to it afterwards, she still didn't know. And that worried her.

Completely finished with getting dressed, she left the room and entered the dining room, slightly surprised to see Bruce was there. Even if it was his place, he was almost never around at nighttime, which she had at first questioned, but decided that she didn't particularly care what he did with his time.

The resentment had obviously died down somewhat, because she was fully aware of how much safer it was here than most anywhere else. And he wasn't a cruel or unpleasant person, really. Still, this scenario was all too reminiscent of her first weeks in Gotham City. She shivered at the memories plaguing her mind.

"Cold?" He asked her quietly.

She looked at him, debating whether to respond or not. "No", she said finally. She hesitated a moment, before continuing as she took her seat a few feet from him. "It's just that sometimes the monsters of your mind can often be more real and more scary than the ones in real life".

"I understand".

"Do you?" She countered, not really trying to start an argument, but almost hoping he really did.

He was silent for a full minute. Like he was really taking her words to heart and thinking deeply on it for a moment. "Yes", he said, looking her full on in the face. "I do".

She nodded silently, not sure what to say, instead choosing to pick at the food until she had enough on her plate, at which point, she began eating slowly, finally capable of eating a decent amount now after the weeks of good food here.

Bruce broke the silence first. "I thought you'd like to know that there hasn't been any new news". Clearly, he was trying to make small talk.

"I'm not surprised", she snorted. "I told you already; you won't find him until he wants you to".

"Well, that's your opinion, isn't it?"

"And which one of us was witness behind the scenes to his plans?" She retorted hotly.

His jaw clenched, he swallowed whatever it was he was going to say. "You're right", he relented. "I am sorry about all of this, you know. I wish he had never done any of this to you".

"I don't", she whispered, thinking he couldn't hear her.

But he must have, as she heard his quick intake of breath as if he'd just heard something he could not believe.

"How can you say that?" He asked,softer than she'd expected he would have. "Why are you happy about this?" It was almost like he really truly wanted to know.

She surveyed his mood, wondering if this would make him snap or upset him at all. Then she decided it didn't matter and answered anyways as honestly as she could. "It's not that I'm not grateful for this opportunity. In fact, I will admit that this is probably the safest I've been since coming here...but..", she found it very difficult to get out these words. She was ashamed of them. "But, I didn't _always_ feel unsafe..with him", he was watching her very intently now, yet his expression was hard to describe. Anxious, upset, angry, worried, she couldn't be sure of it. She averted her gaze to her lap, fiddling with her fingers. "For a while, once I felt like I knew him better, and knew that he...understood me...I was able to come to terms with...being with him, and I didn't care that he was a murdering psychopath. I just cared that he...cared about me. It may not have been the picture perfect, loving kind of caring, but at the time, it was enough for me. Then.."

A fond smile came over her face as she looked down at her growing belly. Growing with a baby inside of it. "Then this little one came along, and I knew..I knew I should not settle with what he had done to me. That I shouldn't lay down and accept it. I should defy it. Because I'm not doing this for myself anymore. If it was just for me, I probably wouldn't ever have left. But, when she came along..this little gift from God..I knew..it was finally time to go. And that there was no turning back".

The silence crept between them like a stealthy wild animal, ready to dart and flee from even the slightest sounds. Until finally;

"Thank you..I think..I can say I do..understand better..now".

"That's all I can ask, I suppose", she said softly in response. They finished the rest of the dinner in silence, each gong their respective ways afterwards.

...

In the rocking chair in her room, she had begun to drift to sleep with her book she'd been reading laying on her belly. And as she drifted, a dream unfolded within her mind's eye..

 _It was raining. Heavily. She felt it was just on the verge of being a waterfall coming down on top of her. Suffocating her. Diminishing her will to fight it off._

 _Then, it lessened a bit, and she was suddenly able to see more clearly, taking in her surroundings, trying to get a grasp on where exactly she was._

 _It was dark all around her. The clouds looked as if they moved even an inch closer, she would be swallowed up, never to be seen again. They were a deep purple with hues of strikingly bright violet within them like purple lightning bolts. The clouds were bloated with rain droplets which continued to drizzle down around and on her. If she squinted her eyes outward, she could see buildings...Gotham buildings in the distance all around her. No lights were on at all within any of them, giving the city a dark, eerie feel. She herself stood upon a large, bare, cement rooftop, high above anything around her. Suddenly, she was all by herself, and she felt loneliness creep into her being like a vine- clinging to every small ray if hope she may have had and squelching it instantly. She was about to call out, when suddenly..she felt it;_

 _She wasn't alone anymore._

 _There was a presence she could feel behind her, practically burning her back with the intensity of the person, or being she could feel there. Slowly, very slowly, as if afraid too quick of a move would make it go away, she turned herself around to stare in dumbfounded, open shock._

 _For there, with his back to her, looking out over his city like some untouchable statue, stood the man who had brought her both great terror and indescribable joy at seeing him again. There stood The Joker. She stayed where she was, marveling at how he seemed completely untouched by the rain. His hair was the same golden, curly faded green locks, his coat that deep, infamous purple, his shoulders broad and lean. She very nearly began walking to him to stand at his side, but something stopped her. She balked, and instead chose to turn, trying not to look back as she walked away, stopping suddenly at that high, nasally and yet husky voice behind her;_

 _"Going somewhere?"_

 _She whirled around, watching as he himself slowly turned to face her, a bored look upon his face. His face which was that same mix of white, black and red. His scars just as prominent, if not more so, suddenly evoking a deep pity in her as she beheld them as if for the first time._

 _His voice jolted her out of her staring and forced her to look up into his black eyes. "You...have been keeping something from me, haven't you, Em?" No outward menace could be detected, unless you were someone who knew him like she did, and she could hear a hidden threat in that seemingly innocent inquiry._

 _"N-no", she said hastily._

 _Suddenly, he was right there, standing not even six inches away, and she was too stunned to move back as he moved his gloves hands forward, placing them around her belly and she could feel her hairs stand on end at the look he was giving it. Like a hungry lion just before sinking its teeth into its catch._

 _"Oh yes you are", he said throatily. His chin was tilted down, but his eyes flicked up to meet hers as he said softly to her as a lover would, "It's ours, Emily..ours together. I helped cre-ate it..did you really think you could keep it from me?"_

 _Her blood ran cold, and all color left her face. "I-I.."_

 _"Shh", he said, placing one warm, gloved hand on her cheek, the other still on her belly as he calmed her. "It's OK, I'm sure you knew, deep down that this little one of ours can't be kept from me forever. Someday, it will play a part in one of the greatest, most catastrophic events in history. When its time comes.."_

 _She was too distracted by his hand upon her cheek to really focus on what he was saying. She knew this was a dream, she just figured her guilty conscience was coming to the forefront of her mind. But his hand felt so hot, warm and real..like she could reach forward and cling to him as if in real life. She had missed this, despite wishing it weren't true, she missed him._

 _"Emily", he whispered against her forehead._

 _"Jack.."_

 _..._

Suddenly, she was jolted awake by a clap of thunder outside her window. The window she distinctly remembered closing before sitting down in the chair.. Getting up, she padded over to it, stopping to survey the pitch black outside, only the occasional streetlamp not far below provided any sort of light. For whatever reason, as she looked straight ahead, she could not quell the eerie feeling of being watched by someone. It just felt unsettling to her to continue looking out, so with that, she closed the window and the curtains, only feeling marginally better.

Had she taken the time to look near the bed, she would have noticed a card there. A very distinct one, with a cackling joker on the front.

...

A few more weeks flew by, Emily's routine of getting up, stretching a bit, sitting back down, being served breakfast by Alfred, having a nice chat for awhile, being left to explore until lunch, which she always declined having, then reading until dinner with very few variations between each day from the last. The only difference was the change in weather. It had been mid to late summer when she had left the Joker, now it was mid to late fall. The air was crisp and chilly outside, the leaves were falling in lovely shades of brown and orange, pumpkins spice could be smelt upon the breeze and all around it brought her a feeling of peace.

By now, it had been only seven and a half months that she had been pregnant, though it felt a lot longer as she was so very large. These last weeks had been particularly brutal as morning sickness had kicked up with a vengeance, making breakfast and dinner nearly impossible to stomach, her back ached all day every day, she was always hot and clammy and uncomfortable. Still, she persevered, so excited to see her baby for the first time even if she didn't know when that would be for sure.

Turns out, it would be a lot sooner than she thought.

She had been pacing her room, trying to relieve some of the pressure in her lower back when a sharp pain in her uterus had her clinging onto the bedpost for support as she tried not to panic, automatically assuming there was something horribly wrong. She stood there for a few minutes, recalling what she'd read about pregnancy on the computer these past weeks, and remembering that sometimes your body can do practice contractions early on. But this felt a lot more intense than what had been described in the article.

Just as that thought entered her head, a second, just as intense pain hit again, and she doubled over, whimpering as she sat on the bed, wishing she could escape from it. Of course, it wouldn't be that easy, though as she lay there, clenching the sheets in her hands, repeating a mantra aloud.

"It's too soon, it's too soon, it's too soon, too soon, too soon, too soon... Aggh!" She shrieked suddenly, that same squeezing, stabbing pain erupting within her again, she now curled into a ball around her belly, as if willing her baby to be all right.

Her screams of agony were heard after a few minutes, Alfred coming into her room, pausing only a second as he looked her over in worry, before springing into action as he pulled out a phone and called the midwife.

But she barely listened to it, she was too focused on the white hot pain. Pain so intense, she thought she would surely pass out. There could not be anyone who was capable of withstanding this. But she had to. She would not let her baby down.

Once the nurse arrived, all she did for Emily was have her change into a hospital gown and lay back down even though she would have rather stood, the nurse claimed it would help it move faster.

And so they waited. Through every painful contraction, and through what felt like zero progress for many hours, unable to eat or drink, she persisted. Ready to see her baby, she would do anything. Wether it be putting up with a snappy nurse, to sucking it up and dealing with the pain, she did. For her baby.

Then finally, after what felt like an eternity, she felt a huge increase of pressure, and then a decrease of it, then wetness weeping over her entire lower half. She craned her sweaty head up to check that it was blood or something of that sort. But it wasn't, it was a clear liquid. She frowned in confusion, then jumped as without warning, the nurse stuck her hand inside of her, feeling around, then telling her some medical terms she did not understand. 'Four fingers dilated', what did that mean?

"It's time to start pushing, hun", the nurse said impatiently.

"What?", she croaked, her tired mind not understanding right away.

"On the next contraction, I want you to push as if you're having a bowel movement, got it? Use those muscles and push".

It clicked for her, she understood. So, for the next half hour, she continued pushing as hard as she could at each wave of a contraction, doing her very best to speed it along.

"I need you to slow down, now".

She panted heavily, sweat dripping from her brow as she looked at the older woman in confusion. "Why?"

"Because", she said through her teeth, "if you go too fast, you will tear, and bruise your baby's face, do you want that?"

She shook her head.

"Good, now do as I tell you".

So it went, she would get wrapped up in pushing her baby out, then the nurse would scold her and it would continue like that. Then, all of a sudden, as she felt herself stretching taught and clenching against the pain, she gave a yell and a mighty heave and then...her baby was out.

Despite exhaustion weighing down her limbs like dead weights, she lifted herself on her elbows, watching the nurse's back as she used a towel to rub the tiny, red body she held. Emily waited on bated breath for that first crucial cry that cleared the airways, but when she didn't hear it right away, she nearly got up to demand what was going on. Then, miraculously, she heard her baby's voice for the first time. The high, scratchy sound of a baby's whimpers was heard, and for the first time in months, her eyes teared up with pure joy.

She watched the nurse turn around with the small bundle, the first small smile upon her aged face as she handed the tiny thing over.

"Congratulations", she said, for the first time, warmth entering her voice. "You've got a daughter".

A daughter.

In that exact instant, Emily did not think her heart could feel any fuller or get any happier as she looked into her baby girl's squinting, deep gray eyes. Greyer than the stormiest of clouds before a raging sea. Her tiny waves in her brown fluff of hair atop her head, and her precious little hands with long, slender digits were all perfect to her and could never be replaced in her heart. She was perfect. She was her baby. But for a single instant, she felt a twinge of guilt for keeping her all to herself, but she quickly smothered it, locking the thought away as thoroughly as she could. She had actually done well in not thinking about him lately, and she'd like to keep it that way.

A hand touched her shoulder, and she looked up at the nurse who said, "You have a visitor, should I let him in?"

Emily thought a moment, then nodded her consent, looking back down at her little one, continuing to look upon her as she heard the door creak open, a few whispered words, then Bruce Wayne walking up beside her, looking down in open wonderment at the new human being that had only just entered the world.

They both stared, not saying a word to each other, merely enjoying the quiet moment, until she whispered first, "Would you like to hold her?"

Bruce froze a moment, for the first fine in a long while, unsure of himself. She could not have known that what he had been doing just then was imagining himself and Rachel with a baby one day had she lived and Dent still died. But that would never be, so thee was no use even thinking about it. But, when Emily offered to let him hold her, something took hold of him, and he could not refuse.

Holding out his arms, Emily smiled as she placed her in them, his hands looking much larger in comparison to her tiny form. They stared at each other, man and baby. As if each sizing the other up, they looked one another over. And then, very carefully, he began to sway them back and forth and bounce her lightly which seemed to make her happy as she began to fall asleep.

"You were right, you know", he said quietly.

"I know, but about what in particular?"

He looked up into her eyes, a tiny smile upon his lips. "She cannot be blamed for the atrocities of her father".

For that, Emily had no words, choosing instead to lean back tiredly, and continue to watch him sway her baby.

...

The next month went by in blissful happiness for almost everyone. Emily could not stop gushing about her daughter's every new thing she did. Which was very little at only a month old. Still, she would jump for joy if her baby so much as sneezed. But no one could begrudge her that. She loved her baby, that much was abundantly clear, and so Bruce and Alfred were happy for her. The baby had to be bottle fed as Emily could not produce any milk, which had depressed her at first, thinking she was less of a mother as a result, but Alfred had helped assuage her doubts and also helped feed which was a chore in and of itself.

One day, as she had been feeding her baby, Bruce had asked her, "Aren't you going to name her instead of just calling her 'the baby".

To which, Emily had responded with; "Of course, but I want to think of the right one first, and some people take more than a month to decide, so I don't see what the problem is". And that had been that.

But even after everything that had happened, and how happy her daughter was, and how safe they were, she could not shake a feeling of worry. Worry for her child she felt was all too vulnerable and innocent in such an evil world. She worried she could not protect her form nearly enough. But what else could she do? What other choice did she have?

This was where her thoughts were one day as she watched her daughter sound asleep in her cradle. Her pacifier in one hand, and the other clenched into a fist. She was just too perfect for this world. Too pure to be corrupted by any evil within it.

That in mind, Emily decided to do some serious research on the computer as her baby slept soundly, with some interesting results. Results she decided would need to be divulged at a later date. She didn't want to do this, but her child's safety, coupled with who her father was, was the most important thing to Emily right now. The thought of her not being enough to protect her baby was almost enough to make her pass out. She loved her daughter. Just because she was now outside of her, did not mean she felt any less protective, it was probably more so now than before, because now she wasn't protected by the quiet of her womb, the amniotic sack and all the flesh surrounding her. She was too vulnerable in this dangerous world. Too perfect for this imperfect place.

Not for the first time, her mind wandered towards a horrific thought...what if she could not protect her from her own father? Ever since that dream, she had been plagued with worries that took the form of terrifying scenarios in her mind. Ones that involved her baby..and a monster. Even though Emily may have still retained feelings for him, that did not mean she wanted him anywhere near her baby. He was too volatile, unpredictable and..a murderer. Already, her daughter had a little personality. She slept quite a bit, as when she was awake, the first thing she did was look for her pacifier, if she did not find it right away, she cries incessantly until it was given to her. Already she showed a remarkable tenacity when she wanted something. And she was so sweet, she would cuddle for hours, not caring with who, just happy to lay her head on someone's shoulder as she fell asleep.

Suddenly, it was too much for Emily- she needed someone to share in her despair and her worries with her. Leaning down, she kissed her baby's smooth, wrinkly forehead, her brow creased in what seemed like a permanent, comically deep frown. And with a last, long look, she walked out the room, down the long hallway.

As she walked, she thought about someone, Bruce Wayne, to be precise. She thought about how kind he had been especially after the baby was born. He had taken extra care with upping security and guards downstairs. Even despite there not having been anything from the Joker, he was still careful. Which brought to her mind the protection he demonstrated, and how a quiet, intelligent man would come through the playboy facade. For facade it was, she could tell that much. But why lie about who he really was? And those dark brown eyes, a different, more angular shape than the Joker's, but very similar in intensity. Why did those eyes remind her of someone she couldn't quite remember? She had been trying for weeks, with little success.

Then, she stopped as her eyes happened upon an old picture of a young, rich couple and a weathered newspaper article beside the photo. The article itself talked about a Thomas and Martha Wayne who had been murdered by a mugger called Joe Chill. It was stuff she already pretty much knew about, but then, the timelines caught her eye and something struck a cord in her as she finally understood his past, and something clicked for her in that instant.

"No..it can't be". But it all made sense. The playboy act, him disappearing every night and not even Alfred knowing where he went, how he disappeared for eight years, only to reappear at the exact time the Batman showed up. It was too much of a coincidence. And with her new hope restored, she ran down the hall to his study, the place he was normally during the day. Stopping before the large door, she passed a moment, regaining her breath before she knocked.

"Bruce? Are you in there?" No answer. She tried the handle. It was unlocked.

She stepped into the familiar room. It was large and spacious, with books upon books on either side, a big desk with a high tech computer atop it. Files scattered all over the desk, she decided to snoop. Padding over to it, she looked everything over before her, not knowing in the least why he would have criminal mugshots all over his desk. She jiggled the computer mouse, a bright screen popping up, with a password login on it. She decided to go through the drawers a little. All she found within them was more papers, history books, science and philosophy, and a few other things, but nothing pointing to him being Batman, really. She was about to give up and leave, but in the very last drawer, in the far back, under a ton of papers and pens, was a bat-shaped, sharp object glinting up at her.

Very carefully, so as not to cut herself, she reached for it, picking it up and examining it. It felt very strong and looked very sharp. It was a deep grey, not exactly shiny or reflective at all. But very deadly looking and lethal in the right hands. She wondered how it was supposed to be used..

"A-hem" a throat being cleared made her jump and look up quickly, hiding ghat gadget behind her back. For a moment, he just looked at her quizzically, then he said, "May I help you?"

"Yes, you can, actually", she said confidently, a surge of determination overtaking her. "I know who you are, Bruce".

"Do you?" He countered, very calm.

"Who you truly are", she said, taking the object from behind her back and showing it to him. "Did you think you could keep this a secret forever? That no one would question how billionaire playboy, Bruce Wayne, disappeared without a trace for eight years, only to reappear with no explanation at the exact time the Batman did. Or how about how the Batman has appeared at some Bruce Wayne functions, but you were nowhere to be found at the time. A secret this big is bound to be discovered eventually, Dark Knight".

He was silent, looking past her, seeming to contemplate something for a moment before he looked back at her, a hard look upon his face. "And?" He said, angry now. "Why do you want me to verify this to you? What does it matter? Are planning on telling other people? I imagine the tabloids would pay a decent amount for this information they would undoubtedly put on their front page". It was a barbed insult, and it did sting.

"I would never". She said, offended.

"Then why do you want to know?"

For the first time, her gaze fell, she looked down, unsure how to ask and very reluctant to do so. "I wanted to know..for certain..because I have a favor to ask of you".

"What could possibly involve-?"

"You love my daughter, don't you?" She asked urgently.

"Of course", he replied, his eyes narrowing at the seeming change of subject.

"Well..." she couldn't get the words out, it felt like they were cutting her up from the inside out, a slow death. She placed a hand over her mouth, stifling her cries.

His demeanor changed from annoyed to concerned in the next instant, he walked to her, placing a hand on her arm. "Well' what?" He asked gently.

How could she ask this? After all she'd been through, how could she put herself through such heartache? But she had to, she knew this. She had to protect her daughter, and there was only one way she knew how.

"I want you to take care of her for me". She blurted finally.

"All right.." he was clearly confused.

"Not for just a little bit, Bruce..I mean forever". She looked up at him, noticing how he still seemed to not comprehend right away. "I want you to be her father".

His eyes took on a tortured look. "Emily..I couldn't.."

"You can and you should. She would be safe with you. Have protection, and a full life. These are things I can't give her myself".

"But, you practically just had her, how could you just leave her?" He said, trying to reason with her.

"Please do not accuse me of not caring", she said, her voice strained like she was fighting to get the words out with little success. "This is not selfish, this is the most selfless thing I've done in my entire life. I love her with all my heart, and that's why I can't stay with her. Eventually, he will find me and her, and then what? I can't stay here forever, and why would I want to? This is my last act of defiance to him. I'm leaving..for good".

He processed this a minute, then asked her quietly, "Where will you go?"

She thought about that for a moment, then she said, "Home. I have a cat to find". He wouldn't get it, but it brought her some measure of comfort. Tucker couldn't replace the love she had lost, but she wasn't going to abandon him. They'd shared such heartache and memories together, she was glad she would get to see him again.

"Is this really what you want? To leave her with me?"

"If you would take care of her". She said, searching his eyes.

"All right", he said sadly.

"Thank you so much". She hugged him for the first time, trying to convey her gratitude in that simple gesture. He returned the embrace. They stood like that for only a second, and when they pulled apart, they looked at each other.

"Have you decided on a name for her yet?"

"I have..it's Cassie..Jaclynn.."

"That's..a nice name", he said. Looking at her, he asked one last thing. "Aren't you going to tell her goodbye".

Her eyes were coated in a layer of tears that she refused to shed. "I already have, and my heart has come to terms with it, but if I see her right now, I'm afraid I couldn't bear to leave her again".

"I understand".

They both turned to the door to see Alfred there, some tears of his own in his eyes. He held out a hand to her, and she went over to embrace him as well, his familiar warmth and smell now making her unbelievably sad where it used to bring her comfort.

When they pulled apart, she looked into his eyes, letting them ground her.

"Take care, miss", he said warmly.

"I will", she said. Her tone was full of surety and she sounded far more confident in herself than the first time they'd met.

"Goodbye, friend", she said at last. And with a farewell wave, she went out the door, letting it close behind her with a barely audible click.

...

Bruce Wayne stood looking out over the city far below him, watching the first snowfall come down over it like silent goose feathers drifting on the wind and slowly coating the city with a layer of fine white powder.

He was thinking over just how much work this city needed. It needed a hero much better than him to bring everything together again. People seem to have lost hope in each other, he realized. Instead of assuming good intentions, people always assume bad first. There was no trust between people, and he could feel it. Could feel the tensions and discomfort building. Where and how it would end, he didn't know, he just knew he would be there..fighting..until his time comes, or someone else took up his position. There was still many criminals out there that he had not been able to stop, still a police force in ruins, still a city full of people fighting and clawing at each other for scraps. Through everything that would happen, he would not see Emily again for many years.

Little did he know, that across town, in a less extravagant place, and almost identically mirroring his stance, was the Joker. Looking out over the city from the roof as one would survey a slab of meat they were contemplating just how to slice just right.

He was smiling at his own private joke as he watched the snowfall as well. It was a good joke, too, because Emily thought he didn't know about her little secret. She thought she could keep things from him, which he found to be particularly cute. Of course he'd noticed her drastic change in behavior. He happened to be a genius, but even an imbecile would have noticed her sudden tenseness when he would pull her close, or how she would constantly be rubbing her stomach or talking to herself.

He had not intentionally impregnated her, but of course he knew it was a possibility, and he knew she would likely leave as a result because it would certainly break his hold on her. Disappointing, but not at all surprising. He had lain low at first. Because people just didn't give him enough credit. He was actually very good at keeping quiet, and at planning for a bit. And he'd done that for just long enough after she left to lull the city into a false sense of security, then, he had decided to pay her a visit. You know, it is remarkable just how easily a mass murdering clown can get something he wants just because he knows the right people.

When he had entered her cozy room, he had no plans of taking or leaving her, he had just stepped in and happened upon her sleeping form, muttering to herself in her sleep. For a few minutes, he simply stared at her, marveling at the lovely girl he had come to feel a certain fondness for. Then, when his eyes happened upon her growing belly, he had approached quietly, placing a hand upon it, fascinated a bit by the hardness of it.

His eyes watched her face. Even asleep, her subconscious knew he was there. As he watched her, he felt certain of one thing; they were his. They would always be his. No matter how far or how fast she ran, they would always find a way back to each other. Just as he and Batman always found a way back to the other.

And as his mind went over Batman, Emily and his child, he had the clarity of mind to acknowledge something. He was obsessed with them. Each in a different way, but no less potent. And he had to say- an obsession was a beautiful thing. But, was an obsession the greatest kind of love there was? He didn't know the answer to that.

But even as he looked out over his great city, he knew he planned on spending the rest of his life finding out.

 **)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))**

 **And just like that, we have reached the end of this ...odd(?) tale. This story has been with me for years, and trying it has gotten me through many a major life accomplishment. I love this story, but truly I only expected to get maybe a couple follows, some favorites and at most, five reviews. But now I've got 100+ of each thing! Thank you all so very very much.**

AidansQueen, amanda mars 42, Anga27, BunnyMermaid, Destinyrose 18, jamcneil 680, beladelsirine, Bad heart, HPuni 101, A-Mais-Pura-Preguica-do-mundo, Ella, Eemah, LittleApple, Guests, cwsquared, Natsuko 457, Isabella 95, desna 99, Vicko, Jokerfan 17, Jennar 27, Audiiie, FreeSpiritSeeker, Berkeley 2021, Kyokkou, fanfic authoress, T, B199, OliverNox, Laxelle (Ella again;), Welisarne, Bitch a my cupcake, ChristineDaae The princess, Wuli, lippis, Anonymous, Daroga, BellChell 17, LaurenA007, Riven Vode, avid reader.

AND ALL WHO HAVE FAVED AND FOLLOWED, THANK YOU SO SO MUCH.

TO DO SOMETHING I SHOULD HAVE DONE LONG AGO, ARE SOME STORY SUGGESTIONS;

Anything by MyPurpleSkies, if you haven't read already, then you must read her Chaos series.

Brown Eyed Jo's Monsters Under the Bed is also a must read, so, you're done with mine, go read theirs!

Lastly, I am most thankful for the great friends I've made along the way. (Two to be exact, and they know who they are, so thanks for them!)

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...Did I mention I am writing a sequel in Cassie's perspective? Love you all! Thanks for being on this ride with me! Xoxo.


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